IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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:  >  '.VaiV  MAIN  STRUT 

ttriiiaTiR,N.v.  i4sao 

(7U)S7a^S03 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHIVI/iCIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Instituta  for  Historical  IVIicroraproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  da  microraproductions  historiquas 


T«chnical  and  Bibliographic  Notaa/Notaa  tochniquM  at  bibliographiquaa 


Tha  Instituta  has  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  baat 
original  copy  availabia  for  filming.  Faaturas  of  this 
copy  which  may  ba  bibliographically  uniqua, 
which  may  altar  any  of  tha  imagas  in  tha 
raproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  changa 
tha  uaual  mathod  of  filming,  ara  chackaid  balow. 


D 


D 


D 

D 


D 


D 


Colourad  covars/ 
Coiivartura  da  couiaur 


r~1    Covars  damagad/ 


Couvartura  andommagte 

Covars  rastorad  and/or  laminatad/ 
Couvartura  rastaurte  at/ou  palliculte 


I      I    Covar  titia  missing/ 


La  titra  da  couvartura  manqua 

Colourad  maps/ 

Cartas  gAographiquas  an  couiaur 


□    Colourad  ink  (i.a.  othar  than  blua  or  black)/ 
Encra  da  couiaur  (i.a.  autra  qua  blaua  ou  noira) 

I     I    Colourad  platas  and/or  illustrations/ 


Planchas  at/ou  illustrations  an  couisur 

Bound  with  othar  matariai/ 
Rail*  avac  d'autraa  documanta 

Tight  binding  may  causa  shadows  or  distortion 
along  intarior  margin/ 

La  re  iiura  sarrte  paut  causar  da  I'ombra  ou  da  la 
distortion  la  long  da  la  marga  intAriaura 

Biank  laavas  addad  during  rastoration  may 
appaar  within  tha  taxt.  Whanavar  possibla.  thaaa 
hava  baan  omittad  from  filming/ 
II  90  paut  qua  cartainaa  pagaa  blanchaa  ajouttea 
lors  d'una  rastauration  apparaiaaant  dana  la  taxta, 
mala,  lorsqua  cala  Atait  possibla,  cas  pagaa  n'ont 
pas  4t4  filmtes. 

Additional  commants:/ 
Commantairaa  supplAmantairaa: 


L'Institut  a  microfiimA  la  maillaur  axampiaira 
qu'ii  lui  a  4t4  poaaibia  da  aa  procurar.  Laa  ditaila 
da  cat  axampiaira  qui  sont  paut-Atra  uniquas  du 
point  da  vua  bibiiographiqua,  qui  pauvant  modifiar 
una  imaga  raproduita,  ou  qui  pauvant  axigar  una 
modification  dana  la  m^^thoda  normala  da  fiimaga 
sont  indiqute  ci-daascua. 


I — I  Colourad  pagaa/ 


Pagaa  da  couiaur 

Pagaa  damagad/ 
Pagaa  andommagtea 

Pagaa  raatorad  and/oi 

Pagaa  rastaurAaa  at/ou  palliculAaa 

Pagaa  discoiourad,  atainad  or  foxai 
Pagas  dicoiortes,  tachatiaa  ou  piquiaa 

Pagaa  datachad/ 
Pagas  dAtachAas 

Shov«rthrough> 
Transparanca 

Quality  of  prin 

Quaiit*  inigaia  da  I'impraasion 

includaa  aupplamantary  matarii 
Comprand  du  material  supplAmantaira 

Only  adition  availabia/ 
Sauia  Mition  diaponibia 


I — I  Pagas  damagad/ 

I — I  Pagas  raatorad  and/or  laminatad/ 

r~T1  Pagas  discoiourad,  atainad  or  foxad/ 

r~n  Pagas  datachad/ 

rrpi  Shovirthrough/ 

r~n  Quality  of  print  varias/ 

I     I  Includaa  aupplamantary  matariai/ 

I — I  Only  adition  availabia/ 


n 


Pagaa  wholly  or  partially  obacurad  by  arrata 
slips,  tissuaa,  ate,  hava  baan  rafiimad  to 
ansura  tha  bast  possibla  imaga/ 
Laa  pagaa  totalamant  ou  partiallamant 
obacurciaa  par  un  fauiliat  d'arrata,  una  palura, 
ate,  ont  4t*  fiimAaa  A  nouvaau  da  fa9on  k 
obtanir  la  maillaura  imaga  poaaibia. 


to 


Th 
po 
of 
filr 


Orl 
bai 
thi 
sio 
oti 
fin 
sic 
or 


Th 
shi 
Til 
w» 

Ml 
dif 
an 
ba 
rig 
rac 
mi 


This  itam  is  filmad  at  tha  raductlon  ratio  chackad  balow/ 

Ca  documant  aat  filmA  au  taux  da  rMuctkm  indiqu*  ci-daaaoua. 


10X 

14X 

lax 

2ZX 

asx 

30X 

1 

J 

12X 

16X 

20X 

24X 

28X 

32X 

:■■■« 


Tlw  copy  film«d  h«r«  hf  •  b««n  raproducod  thanks 
to  tho  gonoroaity  of: 

National  Library  of  Canada 


L'axampiaira  filmA  fut  raproduit  grAca  A  ia 
gAnArosit*  da: 

Bibliothiqua  nationaia  du  Canada 


Tha  imagas  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  baat  quality 
posaibia  conaidaring  tha  condition  and  laglbility 
of  tha  original  copy  and  In  keaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  apaclflcations. 


Original  ooplaa  in  printad  papar  covars  ara  filmad 
baginning  with  tha  front  eovar  and  anding  on 
tha  laat  paga  with  a  printad  or  lilu«f?atad  impraa- 
aion,  or  tha  back  covar  whan  appropriata.  All 
othar  original  copias  ara  filmad  baginning  on  tha 
first  paga  with  a  printad  or  iiiuatratad  Impraa- 
sion,  and  anding  on  tha  laat  paga  with  a  printad 
or  iiiuatratad  impraaaion. 


Tha  laat  racordad  frama  on  aach  microflcha 
shall  contain  tha  aymboi  — »•  (moaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  tha  aymboi  ▼  (moaning  "END"), 
whichavar  appiiaa. 

Mapa,  piatas,  charts,  ate,  may  ba  filmad  at 
diffarant  raductlon  ratioa.  Thoaa  too  iarga  to  ba 
antlraly  included  in  ona  axpoaura  ara  filmad 
baginning  in  tha  uppar  iaft  hand  corner,  laft  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  aa  many  framaa  aa 
raqulrad.  Tha  following  diagrama  lllustrata  tha 
mathod: 


Laa  imagas  suivantaa  ont  AtA  raproduites  avac  la 
piua  grand  soin,  compta  tanu  da  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattatA  da  l'axampiaira  fiimi,  at  an 
conformity  avac  las  conditions  du  contrat  da 
filmaga. 

Laa  axampialras  orlglnaux  dont  la  couvartura  an 
papiar  ast  ImprimAa  aont  filmAa  an  commandant 
par  la  pramiar  plat  at  an  tarminant  soit  par  la 
darnlAra  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'imprassion  ou  d'iliustration,  soit  par  la  sacond 
plat,  aalon  ia  cas.  Toua  las  autras  axampialras 
orlglnaux  sont  fiimto  an  commanpant  par  la 
pramlAra  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'impraasion  ou  d'iliustration  at  an  tarminant  par 
ia  darnlAra  paga  qui  comporta  una  teSIa 
amprainta. 

Un  daa  aymboias  sulvants  apparaltra  sur  la 
darnlAra  imaga  da  chaqua  microfiche,  salon  la 
caa:  la  symbols  —►  algnlfie  "A  SUIVRE  ".  la 
symbols  V  signifia  "FIN  ". 

Laa  cartas,  planchas,  tableaux,  etc.,  pcjvent  Atre 
filmte  A  daa  taux  da  reduction  diff Grants. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atra 
raproduit  en  un  seul  ciichA,  II  est  fiimA  A  partir 
da  Tangle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'Images  nAcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
i'luatrent  la  mAthode. 


1  2  3 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

( .  i 


V  \i 


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1  -^  •. 


•  » 


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.,Jt- ■■•>-'-— 


NAfiRATIVE  AND  HECOLLECTIONS 


> 


I 


OF 


#■ 


VAN  DIEMAN'S  LAND, 


t.i 


•4 


'-< 


DURlNa  A  THREE  VEARs' 


CAPTIVITY  OF  STEPHEN  S.  WRIGHT; 


TOGETHER  WITH  AN  ACCOUNT  OF 


THE  BATTLE  OF  PRESCOTT,     <•. 

in  Wmcn    HK    WAS    taken   prisoner  ;    his    imprisonment   in    CANADA  ;   TRIAL,    CONDEMNATION    AND 

TRANSPORTATION  TO  AUSTRALIA;    HIS  TEKRIBLK  SLl-FEKIXUa  IN  THE  BRITISH  PENAL   COLONY 

or  VAN  DIEMAN's  LAND  ;   AND  RETURN  TO  THE  UNIT«1>  STATES  ; 


w 


I  T  H    A    C  O  P  I  O  U^S    APPENDIX,*^.'' 


EMBRACINO  FACTS  AND  DOCUMENTS  RELATING  TO  THE  PATRIOT  WAR,  NOW  FIRST  GIVEN 

TO  THE  PUBLIC,  FROM  THE  ORIOINAL  NOTES  AND  PAPERS  OP  !*jk.  WHIOHT, 

AND   OTHER    SOURCES. 


"Eteriml  Spirit  of  the  chainle*!  mind!  ---■ 

Brighiest  in  duneoon?,  I.ib^riy  .'  thou  art,  fe 

For  there  thy  habitation  is  the  heart—  . 

Tiia  heart  which  love  of  tlice  alone  can  bind  ; 

.And  when  thy  sons  to  letters  are  consiin'd— 
To  letters  and  the  damp  vTult's  dayless  gloom. 
Their  country  conqueri  with  their  martyrdom. 

And  Freedom's  fame  finds  wings  in  everjr  wind,"— Bvron 


BY-CALEB  LYON,  OF  LYONSDALE. 


4- 


\i 


J.  WINCHESTER,  NEW  WORLD  PRESS; 

'•%,i:.,,  '     :.,:         30    ANN    STREET.  „    :■  ".'..,- 


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Entered  acconliii,  li»  Ai.:  uf  Congiv--i,  in  i(i(!  yuny  1S44, 
BV    J.    WISCUKSTEK    «Sk    CO. 

k  the  Clerk's  Oiiice  oi  ike  Ijautheni  Dijiiicl  0/  iSex''-  York. 


Tr;  7.? 


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.  ,.   .^'«  ''V  '"il     >i    ■  ,       ■■".'■..'        >■  :    

Jf^,i,.,,,  DEDICATION. 


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■H    "V    f'"" 

, .  1  ;■■«.' 

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>i»'' 


^#^' 


I  xNsc£iBB  these  pages  to  the  friends  of  Canadian  liberty,  in  the  faint 
hope  that  I  may  render  justice  to  the  deserving,  and  give,  so  far  as  my  expe- 
rience extends,  a  candid  statement  to  the  public.  Years  have  passed  since 
many  of  the  events  herein  described  transpired,  yet  the  statements  are 
made,  as  nearly  as  I  can  recollect,  as  they  occurred.  My  mind  was 
early  stirred  up  and  my  sympathies  excited,  in  favor  of  a  people  who  I 
had  supposed  groaned  under  oppression,  (see  note  3rd)  but  grossly  was  I 
deceived,  and  that  too  by  the  very  men  who  hope  by  their  silence  to  con- 
ceal the  contemptible  part  which  they  played  in  the  Prescott  Tragedy. 
The  constant  call  for  statements  in  regard  to  my  sufferings,  induces  me 
to  venture  upon  this  publication,  and  the  hundreds  who  welcomed  me 
home  fully  demonstrated  the  necessity  of  my  taking  this  course  j — being 
no  speaker,  I  thought  this  way  would  be  preferable  to  any  other,  of  com- 
municating my  narrative  to  the  public.  If,  in  the  bitterness  of  my  heart, 
I  should  censure  some  of  the  leading  men  who  caused  our  defeat,  dis- 
grace, and  degradation,  I  hope  the  reader  will  place  himself  in  my  situa- 
tion, and  then  cover  with  the  cloak  of  charity  all  that  he  may  read  amiss. 
Five  years  have  passed  since  I  last  set  foot  upon  my  native  land,  and  my 
love  is  not  only  green  and  fresh  as  ever,  but  increased  ten-fold  by  my 
contact  with  oppression.  And  I  yet  think,  when  the  crushing  despotism 
of  Victoria  Cobourg  shall  have  created  soldiers  as  well  as  "  Sons  of  Lib- 
erty,"  upon  their  oppressed  soil,  then,  and  not  till  then,  can  she  be  fre^— 
and  before  the  people  of  the  United  States  again  lend  their  aid,  they  will 
have  to  be  convinced  that  there  is  something  more  in  their  patriotism  than 
a  name!  While  American  sympathy  extended  to  suffering  and  lacera- 
ted  Poland,  all  joined  with  a  liberal  hand  to  shed  what  blessings  they 
could  upon  the  children  of  those  victims  of  despotism  who  fell  upon  the 
Deleaguered  battlements  of  Warsaw,  or  were  inhumanly  massacred 
within  its  walls ;  help,  sympathy,  and  kindness  from  America  rendered 

their  lot  less  unhappy,  and  concealed  in  a  measure  the  bitterness  of  their 

1* 


1j- 


tM-        .-_ 


nr 


DEDICATION. 


exile.  They  found  peace  and  a  home  upon  her  shores.  When  Greece 
tore  the  crescent  from  her  standard,  a  Bozisaris  and  a  Byron  were  ready 
to  yield  up  their  lives  in  her  defence  ;  and  had  not  success  sanctified  the 
cause  of  American  Independence,  Washington,  Lafayette,  Franklin,  and 
the  eULr  Adams  would  have  graced  a  gibbet  within  the  Tower  of  Lon- 
don. And  are  the  Canadian  Patriots  less  the  martyrs  of  liberty  because 
victory  perched  not  upon  their  banner  ?  are  they  to  bo  branded  as  foreign 
assassins,  free-booters,  pirates,  brigands  and  bucaneers,  Yankee  cut- 
throats, &c.,  and  go  down  to  posterity  with  the  reputation  of  Bedouin 
Arabs,  and  not  feel  the  brands  that  have  been  searing  their  reputation 
from  venal  presses  and  despotic  aristocrats  ?  No !  the  motives  of  those 
who  fought  at  the  battle  of  Prescott  were  pure  and  noble,  and  to  save  the 
memories  of  the  dead  from  cruel  aspersions,  and  to  gratify  the  living,  this 
feeble  effort  is  made  to  place  in  a  tnie  light  many  of  the  actors  of  the  Ca- 
nadian  Revolution.  - 


^.■•'.    ..111 ■'    ■,  i,' 

.■■■'•>■■■•         i         ' 


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WRIGHT'S    NARRATIVE,      n 


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N^ 


C  H  AP  T  E  R    I . 

Left  Sai-kel«  Horbor— lAnded  ftt  Windmill  Point  (near  PrescciU}— BolUo  of  I'reicott— Death  of  Ciiarlc, 
Went,  NeUun  liutteifield,  and  Clmrles  E.  Brown— I'nkindneM  of  the  cowards— Our  lurrender- Live» 
snvod  by  the  H.ird  Regiment- Route  from  Preicutt  to  Kurt  Henry. 

On  tlie  evening  of  the  lOtli  of  November  1838,  we  left  Sackets  Harbor, 
about  four  hundred  in  number,  on  board  the  steamboat  "  United  States," 
and  proceeded  down  the  river.  A  Mr.  Pendigrasso,  (one  of  the  officious 
emissaries  of  Canada,)  told  us  that  the  Upper  Province  could  be  taken 
without  the  discharge  of  a  gun,  and  that  thousands  of  the  people  of  the 
frontier  were  ready,  and  would  join  us  as  soon  as  the  standard  of  liberty 
had  been  raised  upon  her  shackled  soil.  Twcnty.four  hours  was  all  he 
wished  to  raise  one  thousand  fighting  men,  w  ho  were  willing  to  yield  up 
their  lives  in  defence  of  that  glorious  principle,  that  "all  men  arc  born 
free  and  equal.'^  Our  leaders  proved  themselves  utterly  unequal  to  the 
task  of  directing  or  guiding  the  men  under  their  control,  and  it  is  a  start- 
line  fact,  that  previous  to  our  leaving  the  Harbor,  they  knew  not  where  we 
were  to  land,  or  to  what  particular  point  we  were  bound.  This  inability 
on  their  part  produced  confusion ;  and  ultimately  resulted  in  the  ruin  of 
those  whose  confidence  had  been  won,  and  whose  sympathy  for  the  Ca- 
nadians had  been  elicited  by  the  falsehoods  of  emissaries  from  secret 
lodges,  &c.,  and  were  thus  led  to  volunteer  their  efforts  to  achieve  the 
emancipation  of  an  oppressed  people,  under  the  guidance  of  men  who 
lacked  both  the  energy  and  common  sense  necessary  for  success.  But  I 
then  thought,  with  the  rest  of  my  verdant  friends  and  comrades,  that  our 
first  dispatch  would  have  been  like  the  great  Roman's,  "  Veni,  vidi,  vici," 
and  not  imtil  the  open  desertion  of  our  cause  by  that  trinity  of  cowards, 
Birge,  King  and  Estis,  together  with  Bill  .Johnson,  and  their  followers ; — 
and  the  bloody  days  of  the  12th,  13th,  14th,  15th,  and  16th  of  November, 
and  the  hospital  of  Kingston,  and  the  dark  prison  of  Fort  Henry,  were  we 
all  brought  to  our  senses.  The  flag  under  which  we  were  to  fight  was 
now  displayed  for  the  first  time  ;  it  bore  upon  its  face  the  device  of  an 
eagle  and  twin  stars  upon  a  ground  of  blue ;  all  hailed  it  with  cheers. 
(I  have  since  seen  the  same  standard  as  a  trophy  of  victory  in  the  Ar- 
mory of  the  Tower  of  London.     Being  a  Yankee,  I  took  the  liberty  of 


^  I 


* 


m 


kM. 


WRIGHT'S  NARRATIVE. 


gueMing  that  thtMC  was  not  another  trophy  in  the  room  which  was  oon- 
tenHftd  for  with  greater  spirit  than  that  same  Prescott  flag.)  It  WM 
jarlr  J.^foie  wt,  leachod  Millen's  Bay,  having  stopped  at  Capo  Vincent  to 
take  on  board  several  Patriots,  and  when  near  Millen's  Bay,  we  took  in 
tow  two  schooners,  freiglited  with  arms  and  munitions  of  war  aivd  men, 
increasing  our  number  to  one  thousand.  Even  here  our  leaders  were 
disappointed,  as  they  expected  a  still  greater  reinforcement. 

On  Monday  morning  the  11th,  we  came  in  sight  of  Prescott;  here  the 
schooners  were  cut  loose  from  the  steamboat,  and  I  embarked  in  one  of 
them.  Near  Prescott  they  both  ran  aground — the  schooner  in  which  I 
was  got  clear  and  proceeded  to  Windmill  Point,  where  we  landed.  Wind- 
mill  Point  is  situated  upon  an  elevated  spot  of  ground  on  the  brink  of  the 
St.  Lawrence,  about  one  mile  and  a  lialf  below  Prescott.  The  walls  of 
the  mill  being  shot  proof,  we  made  it  our  stand,  and  upon  its  summit  floated 
our  blue  standard.  The  evening  of  the  11th  was  spent  in  making  ar- 
rangements fur  die  morrow  ;  the  schooner,  which  was  aground  in  the 
morning,  now  proceeded  to  lana  her  arms  and  munitions,  but  the  greater 
part  of  the  balls  and  other  necessaries  were  left  amid  the  confusion  which 
prevailed.  All  our  general  officers  had  deceived  us  save  Colonels  Von 
Schoultz,  Woodruff^,  and  Abbey,  who  at  first  held  but  minor  situations. 
After  a  deliberate  consultation  we  elected  Von  Schoultz  to  the  post  of  com- 
mander-in-chief of  our  Patriot  army,  which  had  dwindled  do\/n  from  one 
thousand  to  two  hundred  souls ;  many  of  the  soldiers,  following  the 
example  of  their  superiors,  had  deserted  us,  and  were  talking  (with  their 
extinguished  officers)  bravely  and  gallantly  in  the  streets  of  Ogdensburg. 

The  gentleman  who  now  had  command  was  brave  and  daring  to  a  fault, 
and  equal  to  any  emergency.  His  height  was  five  feet  eleven ;  with 
firm  and  graceful  limbs,  with  a  well-bred  gentleness  in  his  manners,  and 
an  eye  which  blazed  in  its  own  liquid  light.  It  was  very  rarely  he 
smiled,  but  when  he  did  it  was  as  sunshine  through  prison-bars;  with  a 
kind  heart  and  as  noble  a  soul  as  ever  was  found  in  fetters  of  clay,  he 
was  one  whose  very  faults  "  leaned  toward  virtue's  side."  Our  Spartan 
band  consisted  of  two  hundred  men,  for  as  the  dross  flees  from  gold  by 
fire,  so  the  craven  in  soul  and  cowards  in  heart  fled  from  the  support  of 
the  cause  of  liberty  in  its  hour  of  danger,  even  before  the  defence  was 
commenced  ;  and  the  blood  of  those  who  fell,  yet  dye  the  garments  of  the 
false-hearted  cowards  that  I  have  already  mentioned.  About  midnight, 
Bill  Johnson  came  over  in  an  open  boat  and  informed  us  that  five  hundred 
men  would  join  us  before  daylight.  He  was  a  messenger  from  those 
who  not  only  had  deserted  us,  but  now  wished  to  beguile  by  hopes  that  they 
too  well  knew  would  never  be  realized.  This  night  no  eye  was  closed, 
no  hand  was  idle,  and  no  heart  was  faint ;  all  was  hurry,  bustle,  and 
confusion— all  anxiety  and  expectation.  In  view  of  the  expected  rein- 
forcement, we  took  possession  of  three  stone  out-buildings,  weakening  oui 
force  within  the  mill.  The  sun  rose  clear  and  cloudless — not  one  breath 
dimpled  the  waves  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  above  it  curled  a  silver  veil 


I 


#• 


':i 


WRIGHT'S  NARRATIVE  f 

of  mist  as  incense  to  the  sky.  Von  Schoultz  hailed  tlie  dawn  as  a  good  omen 
of  the  glorious  sun-burst  of  Canadian  liberty,  but  many  an  eye  which 
gazed  that  morning  upon  the  resplendent  orb  of  light,  ere  night  had  closed 
for  ever.  At  nine  o'clock  a.  m.,  three  British  steamboats  came  down  from 
Prescolt,  anchoring  opposite  the  mill,  and  opened  a  fire  of  balls  ntid  bomb- 
shells;  at  the  same  time,  fifteen  hundred  of  the  Canadian  militia  and 
regulars  made  their  appearance,  the  i^3rd  regiment  occupying  the  centre 
and  the  militia  forming  the  right  and  left  wings.  They  were  formed  three 
deep  when  in  line  of  battle.  We  formed  likewise  a  lino  of  battle,  each 
man  spreading  from  two  to  three  yards  apart,  so  as  to  cover  their  front, 
protected  on  three  sides  by  walls  and  stone  builings  and  the  river,  whose 
■tcep  banks  prevented  the  shot  and  shells  thrown  by  the  enemy's  marine 
from  doing  us  any  mischief,  which  passed  above  our  heads  and  created 
death  and  disaster  among  their  own  land  forces.  Before  the  engagement 
commenced,  a  si.x-pounder  was  placed  between  the  mill  and  one  of  the 
stone  out-buildings,  but  so  placed  that  in  case  of  a  retreat  it  would  receive, 
if  attempted  to  be  taken,  a  raking  fire  from  four  different  points;  and 
would  also  serve  as  a  decoy  in  case  of  an  emergency.  Our  orders  were 
not  to  fire  a  gun  until  we  had  received  an  assault  from  the  British,  under 
any  circumstances.  As  the  enemy  advanced,  their  bugles  sounded,  and 
when  within  about  twenty  rods  they  halted,  and  fired  by  platoons.  We 
returned  their  fire,  and  fought  for  three  hours  and  ten  minutes  without 
cessation.  The  Canadian  militia  retreated,  and  left  the  centre  of  their  line 
supported  by  the  88rd  regiment  (whidi  fought  fiercely  and  bravely ) alone, 
but  finding  our  hail-storm  bullets  a  little  too  eflTective  for  their  use,  they 
soon  followed  suit,  and  retreated  behind  the  rising  ground  that  fronts  the 
mill,  leaving  us  in  fair  possession  of  the  field.  We  followed  up  the  re- 
treat a  short  distance,  but  finding  that  the  enemy  wished  to  flank  us,  we 
advanced  no  farther,  as  our  case  would  have  been  hopeless  had  we  been 
cut  off  from  the  mill  and  stone  out-buildings,  which  proved  our  only 
bulwarks  of  safety.  Losing  some  thirteen  men,  we  retreated  to  the  mill 
and  made  it  our  strong-hold,  fortifying  it  as  well  as  we  could  with  our 
three  field-pieces ;  but  judge  of  our  surprise  and  desperate  condition,  when 
we  found  that  there  was  not  a  solitary  ball  left  to  load  our  guns,  render- 
ing them  next  to  useless. 

During  the  engagement,  I  looked  often  toward  the  shores  of  Liberty, 
and  saw  thousands  thronging  the  beach  at  Ogdensburgh,  whose  faint 
cheers  reached  us  across  the  wave ;  and  it  embittered  our  hearts  to  know 
and  feel,  that  they  whose  tongues  could  beguile  so  successfully  had  not 
the  moral  courage  to  aid  us  in  the  hour  of  trial.  We  loaded  our  guns 
with  pieces  of  broken  iron,  butts  and  screws,  that  we  tore  from  the  doors 
and  fixtures  of  the  mill.  No  sooner  had  we  retreated,  than  the  British, 
encouraged  by  the  sight  of  a  vacant  field,  rallied,  and  attempted  to 
take  our  strong-hold  by  storm.  In  that  assault  the  writer  received  a 
wound  in  his  left  arm  by  a  musket-ball,  and  his  friend,  Charles  West, 


*  ' 


8  WRIGHT'S  NARRATIVE. 

wu  shot  through  the  body,  dig  wound  wan  fatal;  but  to  the  Itit  mo- 
ment ho  tore  cartridges  for  his  comrades, — the  blood,  at  every  exertion, 
gushing  from  liis  heart,  and  bathing  his  hands  with  its  sanguine  ataiji. 
Yet  to  the  last  he  bore  up  nobly — no  sigh  escaped  him. 


'«    ; 


"  Ml  di«d  amid  the  bslllc'i  hroil, 
A  liin*  that  liteili  nor  p»>n  nor  toll ;" 


and  his  last  breath  was  spent  in  ohcormg  us  to  our  duty.  A  braver 
youth  never  lived — a  truer  heart  never  was  hushed  in  the  sloop  of  death  ; 
and  his  grave  is  now  trod  on  by  the  feet  of  tyrants,  and  Iuh  memory  is 
"  unwept,  unhonored,  ond  unsung."  During  the  engagement,  George 
Buttorfield  was  wounded  in  one  of  the  out-buildings,  and  borne  to  the 
windmill,  where  he  lived  till  evening.  He  was  mild  and  gentle  in  his 
manners  ;  but  when  the  battle  commenced  he  was  brave  as  a  tiger,  dis- 
charging his  duty  fuitlifully.  In  fact,  he  was  the  "Ney"  of  the  battle 
of  Prescott — "  brovest  among  the  brave."  His  dying  words  were,  "  My 
poor  dear  mother  !  I  fear  her  heart  will  break  when  she  knows  that  I  am 
dead."  Then  for  o  moment  his  words  were  incoherent,  and  the  names 
of  kindred  hung  upon  his  lips ;  and  in  the  next,  his  soul  was  disentangled 
from  the  net  of  clay,  and  was  before  its  God.  In  the  morning's  engage- 
ment, there  was  an  incident  transpired  worthy  of  remark.  A  matron, 
with  a  daughter  of  seventeen  and  a  babe  of  six  months  old,  whoso  hus- 
band had  left  her  during  the  battle,  seeing  that  the  British  outnumbered 
the  Patriots  by  many  hundreds,  startod  with  her  children  to  join  and 
claim  protection  of  the  loyalist  army.  (It  must  be  remembered  that  she 
was  one  of  those  who  resided  in  the  put-buildings  that  we  had  taken  pos- 
session of.)  When  we  saw  the  little  family  on  their  way,  our  command- 
ant gave  orders  not  to  fire  in  that  direction.  His  orders  were  strictly 
obeyed.  Yet  when  she  had  arrived  within  ten  rods  of  the  loyalists'  line, 
a  shot  was  fired,  which  broke  the  jaw  of  the  daughter,  and  another  pier- 
ced herself  and  her  child  to  the  heart,  and  both  found  an  untimely  grave 
upon  the  field  of  battle; — the  dead  child  clasped  in  the  arms  of  its  dying 
mother,  a  metaphor  of  that  affection  which  is  stronger  than  death.  And 
this  murder  was  contmitted  by  the  very  men  who  boast  of  being  governed 
by  a  woman!  Oh  !  shame,  where  is  thy  blush !  Humanity  recoils  from 
the  recital  of  such  cold-blooded  massacres  of  the  innocent.  I  would  here 
contradict  a  report  which  has  been  circulated,  regarding  Charles  E. 
Brown's  being  burned  alive  in  one  of  the  out-buildings  after  having  been 
previously  wounded.  He  was  shot  through  the  head,  and  died  instantly, 
without  a  groan, — falling  within  a  few  feet  of  the  spot  where  I  stood. 
During  the  assault,  Lieut.  Johnson,  of  the  83rd  Regiment,  with  about 
thirty  men,  undertook  to  seize  our  decoy  cannon,  and  when  within  a  few 
paces,  was  shot  down  by  our  riflemen,  his  party  abandoning  the  expedi. 
tion  after  his  death.  One  of  our  soldiers  stole  his  coat  and  cap,  and  es- 
caped through  the  British  camp.  Passing  himself  off  as  an  oflicer,  he 
reached  in  safety  the  American  shore.     This  was  all  the  indignity  which 


I 


! 


-*#-• 


-^k 


i 


•  WRIOHT'S  NARRATIVE  'if 

hia  bofly  roceivcd  at  nur  hands ;  and  it  would  liave  been  takon  (Vom 
the  field,  but  for  the  cnnstnnt  fire  kept  up  from  a  barn  in  the  vicinity;— 
yet  it  must  bo  rciuemborod,  that  our  own  dead  were  unburicd.     At  night 
wo  rncoived  a  visit  fr-m  Ogdensburgh,  from  the  cowanln  who  came  over 
to    brinp    their   goMon    promiHos   of  men    and    aninumition.     But  Von 
Sflioultz  did  not  relish  their  encouragements.     Ho  entreated  tiiat  they 
would  bo  men  ninuffh  to  sond  a  boat  to  remove  the  wounded,  which  num. 
bored  about  twenty-eight,  ond  wo  had  no  necessaries  for  dressing  theii 
woumls  or  ministering  to  their  wants.     We  now  became  very  suspicious 
of  the  dosigns  of  tiio  false  patriots.     When  they  left   us,  thoy  promised 
tliat  before  duyliglit  uU  the  wounded  should  bo  removed,  and  that  wo  had 
best  convey  them  to  the  shore,  where  it  would  take  them  less  time  to  carry 
them  to  the  stearid»oat.     As  soon  as  the  gentlemen  left,  the  wounded  were 
taken  to  the  shore  of  the  river,  where  they  lay,  'mid  storm  and  snow,  for 
seven  tedious   hours,   waiting  for  the  promised  succor ;  and  deep  and 
bitter  n  ere  the  imprecations  bestowed  upon  those  who  were  now  regard' 
less  of  their  proinisos,  or  the  pain  and  suftedngs  of  the  wounded,  and 
camo  not  to  their  aid  'mid  the  dark  vigils  of  that  night  of  ogony.     Where 
were   Birge,   I''.stis,   .Tohnson,    Pendigrasse,   and  King  ?     Let  them  an- 
swer.    One  of  our  men  had  swum  the  river,  when  the  frost  glassed  the 
pebbles  of  the  shore  and  the  wind  blew  bleak  and   freezing  ;    yet  in  re- 
turn, we  received,  instead  of  help,  their  rotten  and  faithless  promi-ses. 
This  night  was  lonely — perhaps  the  loneliest  that  it  ever  will  be  my  lot  to 
experience :  the  wind  whistled  shrilly  through  the  arms  of  the  old  mill, 
blending  with  the  groans  of  the  stricken  and  the  dying,  who  lay  shelter- 
leas  in  the  night's  wild  storm.     Our  flag  flapped  like  the  wings  of  a  raven 
above  our  heads — 

"  Few  and  ihort  were  th«  prayan  w*  itid, 
We  ipoke  not  u  word  of  iDrrow, 
"   '         "'  But  iteadl'aatly  )!nzed  on  the  fiice  or>he  daad, 

■   ■•'"  ii^l'i      'Oltf      And  we  bittatly  thou|ht  on  the  morrow." 

It  is  generally  estimated,  that  in  the  battle  of  Prescott  the  British  lost 
from  four  to  six  hundred  men.  I  distinctly  recollect  seeing  from  the  top 
of  the  mill,  a  vehicle  drawn  by  four  horses,  engaged  in  collecting  the 
enemies'  dead  during  the  engagement.  There  must  have  been  about  two 
hundred  wounded.  Our  loss  was  thirteen  killed,  and  twenty-eight  wounded. 
The  morning  of  the  fourteenth  dawned  in  snow  and  rain — but  few  slept 
— all  were  wearied,  and  many  were  disheartened.  There  lay  the  broad, 
beautiful  St.  Lawrence,  and  beyond  it  the  land  of  the  free — how  we 
longed  to  see  our  wounded  beyond  its  waters.  The  field  before  us  was 
studded  with  tlie  bodies  of  the  dead.  Some  lay  with  their  eyes  turned  to 
heaven,  with  an  imploring  gaze — others  had  a  mild  benignant  smile  upon 
their  marble  faces  ;  the  crimson  coats  were  dyed  a  deeper  color  in  blood, 
and  the  snow  drifted  beside  their  bodies,  covering  them  as  with  a 
shroud,  while  their  only  dirge  was  the  beating  of  the  waves  against  the 
rock-bound  shore.  A  mist  curtained  the  sun — and  mist  gathered  in  the 
eyes  of  many  of  our  comrades,  as  we  ihought  of  the  weeping  mothers,  the 


r 


T 


to 


WRIGHT'S  NARRATIVE. 


Agonized  sisters,  and  the  heart-broken  wives,  that  had  been  made  in  the 
■hort  apace  of  "  single  day.  (See  Note  1st.)  Now  and  then  a  shot  was 
exchanged,  and  then  all  relapsed  into  silence.  We  felt  how  hopeleu 
was  our  situation,  but  there  was  no  whining,  and  no  regrets,  and  in  caae 
we  were  put  to  the  sword,  we  all  had  resolved  to  die  like  men.  "Von 
Shoultz,  Abbey,  George,  a^J  Woodruff,  bore  themselves  with  a  manly, 
undeviating  fortitude,  worthy  of  a,  better  cause.  The  afternoon  of  the  bat- 
tle five  if  our  party  left  us  in  an  open  boat,  for  the  purpose  of  procuring 
military  stores,  that  we  stood  greatly  in  need  of.  George  having  the 
command,. they  were  fired  upon  by  two  British  soldiers,  which  alarmed  one 
of  the  armed  steamers  up  the  river,  and  the  Cobourg  started  in  pursuit. 
They  ware  not  wounded  by  the  swivels  or  small  arms,  yet  when  taken 
from  the  boat,  it  was  riddled  by  the  shot  and  abput  sinking.  They  were 
taken  near  the  American  shore,  stripped  almost  naked,  and  thrust  into 
the  forecastle,  amid  jeers  and  insults.  During  the  night  of  the  fourteenth, 
the  Caiiadian  militia,  like  so  many  harpies,  tore  from  the  dead  bodies  all 
their  clothing,  ravaging  the  field  in  darkness  in  search  of  every  kind  of 
plunder  ;  and  these  were  the  men  that  we  came  to  fight  for,  and  to  succor 
from  the  galling  yoke  of  the  tyrant !  "  They  who  would  be  faree,  must 
learn  themselves  to  strike  the  blow ;"  and  until  that  time  arrives ,  they 
can  never  receive  that  boon,  priceless  above  all  others,  of  liberty.  On 
the  night  of  the  fifteenth,  we  wexe  surprised  by  a  visit  from  Preston  King 
and  others.  He  came  in  the  steamboat  Paul  Pry,  within  about 
twenty-five  rods  of  the  shore.  He  landed  in  a  small  boat,  accompanied 
by  two  or  three  of  the  extinguished  officers  from  Ogdensburgh.  Yon 
Sohoultz  now  expected  that  help  had  arrived  to  remove  the  wounded  to  a 
place  of  safety.  The  river  was  clear  from  all  crafts,  and  it  appeared  that 
now  was  our  chance,  if  ever,  to  escape.  (See  Note  2nd.)  Von  Schoultz 
told  King,  that  he  did  not  believe  there  were  twenty  men  who  would  come 
to  our  assistance  from  the  American  shore.  King  then  promised  fairly 
that  he  would  return  to  the  Paul  Pry,  and  carry  the  wounded  to  a 
l»laee  of  safety.  Von  Schoultz  then  said,  that  be  would  try  and  make  a 
retreat  down  the  river.  King  acted  confusedly,  staid  about  five  minutes^ 
and  then  departed ;  and  instead  of  fulfilling  his  promise,  he  got  aboard  the 
Paul  Pry,  and  fied  back  to  the  American  shore  as  fast  as  the  gteamer 
could  carry  him,  and  then  circulated  the  falsehoods  among  his  friends 
which  axe  now  contradicted.  Had  it  not  have  been  for  his  duplicity  and 
lOowardice,  we  should  all  have  been  saved  from  years  of  exile,  and  many 
fieora  death.  (See  Note  4th,  for  the  reports  circulated  by  him  regarding 
us.)  We  were  all  anxious  to  leave  the  mill,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the 
wounded,  we  i^ould  have  commenced  a  night  march.  Our  commander 
lold  us  that  without  aid  our  cause  was  lost.  Our  fortunes  grew  despe- 
.  rate ;  the  last  glimmer  of  hope  went  out ;  the  days  and  nights  passed 
'dreamily  away.  On  the  seventeenth,  a  fiag  of  truce  was  sent  out  for  the 
collection  of  the  dead,  which  truce  lasted  for  two  hours.  We  collected 
'  Ihe  dead,  but  had  not  time  to  bury  them.     Wliile  on  the  field,  I  heaxd  a 


I 


WRIGHT'S  NARRATIVE. 


11 


»' 


Oanadian  officer  state  to  Von  Schoultz,  ttiat  had  we  made  good  our  stand 
with  five  hundred  men,  he  would  have  joined  us  with  three  hundred ;  biit 
as  it  was,  he  was  obliged  to  fight  us  with  five  hundred.  About  sunset, 
four  steamboats  well  armed  lay  beside  us  in  the  river,  and  two  thousand 
five  hundred  men  in  our  ftont.  Without  ammunition,  betrayed,  deserted 
and  disheartened,  we  sent  a  flag  of  truce  forth  to  the  British  host,  as  their 
bugle  rang  for  their  first  charge.  Our  flag  was  borne  by  four  patriots, 
and  was  fired  at,  wounding  one  man :  they  then  returned.  What  a  beau- 
tiful instance  of  Canadian  magnanimity,  to  shoot  down  unarmed  men ! 
We  now  fortified  our  stand  as  well  as  we  could,  loaded  our  guns,  and 
made  ready  for  a  most  desperate  resistance  ; — but  judge  of  our  surprise, 
when  the  bugle  again  sounded,  the  loyalist  army  advanced  to  within  thirty 
rods,  and  halted  ;  and  from  the  centre  Col.  Dundas  sent  a  flag,  summon- 
ing us  to  surrender  at  his  discretion,  and  refusing  to  treat  with  us  upon 
other  terms.  We  then  came  into  council,  and  saw  that  it  was  in  vain  to  re- 
sist, and  Von  Schoultz  said,  that  "  not  for  himself  would  he  surrender,  but 
for  the  sake  of  those  brave  young  men,  who  had  become  the  dupes  of  the  de- 
signing, and  in  the  faint  hope  of  saving  their  lives  from  the  unequal  conflict." 
We  then  disarmed,  and  marched  out,  defiling  between  the  soldiers  of  the 
88rd,  who  were  farmed  on  each  side  of  us.  We  may  well  thank  them  for 
our  lives,  for  1  verily  believe  the  ferocious  militia  would  have  torn  us  in 
pieces,  had  it  not  been  for  their  timely  protection.  They  ihen  set  fire  to 
the  out-huildings,  and  Von  Schoultz,  who  had  escaped  through  the  back 
door  of  the  mill,  and  concealed  himself  with  two  men,  named  Thomas 
and  Wright,  beneath  some  cedar  shrubs  upon  the  shore,  was  taken  by 
the  militia,  and  treated  in  a  most  inhuman  and  brutal  manner.  They 
stripped  from  him  nearly  every  vestige  of  clothing,  and  marched  him 
to  Prescott,  almost  naked,  during  the  inclemency  of  a  Canadian 
autumn,  amid  jeers,  scoffs,  insults  and  reproaches  almost  beyond  descrip. 
tion.  The  militia  resembled  ravenous  fiends  more  than  decent  Christian 
men.  Thomas  was  treated  in  a  like  manner ;  but  Wright,  for  some  slight 
resistance,  was  stabbed  with  a  dozen  bayonets,  and  died  without  a  cry  for 
mercy. 

During  our  march  to  Prescott,  ,  he  band  of  the  83rd,  as  if  to  aggravate 
our  feelings,  played  our  National  Air,  "  Yankee  Doodle."  Every  tone 
striking  upon  our  ears,  made  us  feel  doubly  our  desolate  condition,  and 
stripped  of  our  clothing  and  jaded  out,  we  reached  Prescott.  The  village 
was  brightly  illuminated  in  honor  of  a  British  victory — ^gained  by  twenty- 
five  hundred  militia  and  regulars,  with  fifteen  field-pleces  perfectly  armed 
and  ammunitioned,  with  two  gun-boats  and  four  steamers  well  supplied 
■with  marines,  over  one  hundred  and  eighty-four  boys  and  men,  without 
ft  ball  to  load  a  field-piece,  and  with  miserable  arms  and  equipments.  The 
author  has  wondered  that  Col.  Dundas  was  not  knighted  by  the  queen 
for  his  gallantry  in  this  very  equal  contest,  as  he  considers  him  'equally 
deserving  with  Sir  Allan  McNab.  After  having  been  buflfetted  and  spit 
upon  by  the  Prescott  mob,  we  were  then  crowded  with  all  our  wounded 


I 


^a        -  WRIGHT'S  NARRATIVE. 

in  the  forecastle  of  the  steamer  Brockville,  where  we  were  confined  in 
so  small  a  space  that  we  could  neither  sit  nor  lie  down ;  and,  like  their 
Black  Hole  in  Calcutta,  we  doubted  not  that  they  wished  to  smother  us 
to  save  the  trouble  of  a  court-martial.  On  Saturday  we  reached  Kings- 
ton. During  the  night,  some  meat  was  fed  to  us  as  if  we  had  been  dogs 
in  a  kennel.  Many  of  the  wounded  fainted,  and  we  thought  that  they 
would  never  again  recover.  Our  hands  were  tied  behind  us — the  healthi- 
ness of  the  air  was  completely  destroyed  by  the  large  number  of  lungs 
exhausting  it.  At  Kingston,  the  able  men  were  sent  to  Fort  Henry,  and 
the  wounded  placed  in  a  hospital,  where,  in  a  damp,  fireless  room,  we 
lay  without  any  attention  till  Tuesday.  My  bones  ached  with  pain  upon 
the  hard  floor ;  and  what  the  others  must  have  suffered,  whose  wounds 
were  worse  than  mine,  the  imagination  can  only  conceive. 


bauble 
loved  n 
uluintiv 
smile— 


'  »'  CHAPTER    II.  ^»r  .,    . 

Deaths  uf  Von  Sclioultz,  Abbey,  George  and  WoodrufT— Chitman  and  Graves,  Traiton— Our  Trial— Sober 
thoughts— Sir  Allan  McNab— Captain  Drew — Sir  George  Arthur— July  4th,  in  a  British  Prisoa— Removed 
from  Fort  Henry  to  Quebec. 

On  Tuesday,  our  wounds  were  dressed,  and  we  were  removed  to  the 
lower  story  of  the  same  building.  During  the  week,  two  of  our  comrades 
died,  viz :  Wheelock  and  Bromly.  Our  diet  was  oat-meal  and  a  small 
allowance  of  milk.  Every  day  we  received  visits  from  the  officers  of 
the  Canadian  militia,  using  very  ungentlemanly  language  and  taunting 
threats — telling  the  surgeon  to  cure  us  as  soon  as  possible — that  it  would 
be  a  shame  to  hang  sick  men.  I  lay  in  the  hospital  for  ten  days — in  the 
jail  three,  and  was  then  taken  to  Fort  Henry.  I  was  placed  in  a  room 
with  about  forty  of  our  comrades.  Here  I  met  with  our  commander :  he 
greeted  me  warmly  through  the  prison  grates.  My  handcuffs  were 
removed,  and  I  was  at  liberty  once  more  to  use  my  limbs.  As  soon  as 
an  opportunity  offered,  Von  Schoultz  inquired  kindly  after  the  wounded 
and  expressed  a  deep  concern  in  regard  to  our  fate.  On  the  3rd  of  Dec.  he 
was  tried — on  the  6th  his  death  warrant  was  read  to  him — and  on  the  8th 
he  was  executed.  His  whole  bearing  and  conduct  were  noble,  unstained 
by  a  single  act  of  weakness.  Ever  regardless  of  his  own  sufferings,  he 
zealously  tried  to  render  his  companions  in  arms  every  service  in  his 
power.  Words  of  kindness  flowed  from  his  lips,  and  with  a  voice  whose 
melody  was  mild  and  free  as  the  birds  of  the  wilderness,  he  cheered  the 
darkest  and  the  loneliest  hour  of  our  bondage.  ■,i;'■■^"^■^«'Uf^^^^s 

A  few  days  previous  to  his  death,  he  penned  the  following  song,  which 
he  called  the  "  Maiden's  Answer."    It  displays  no  ordinary  poetic  talent, 
and  refers,  doubtless,  to  a  very  beautiful  and  accomplished  American 
1^,  lady  of  Salina,  to  whom  he  had  been  betrothed,  and  whose  miniature  was 
torn  from  his  neck  by  the  vile  mob  at  Prescott.     It  was  the  last  earthly 


-m^- 


'fi(.M 


WRIGHT'S  NARRATIVE. 


13 


# 


•iVl'JHi. 


I  . 


bauble  to  which  his  heart  clung ;  the  shadow  of  that  being  whom  ha 
loved  more  than  all  the  world  besides.  He  sung  it  with  a  thrilling  yet 
i)laintive  voice,  and  when  he  finished,  he  remarked,  with  a  melancholy 
smile — "  It  is  the  last  song  I  shall  ever  write." 

You  own  I  Hin  eonttant,  yet  Mil  me  I'm  cold,  •'.'  >.     -. 

And  muit  I  my  youth'*  early  lorrowt  unfold  1 

Muat  I  wake  to  remember  the  joyi  which  are  fled,  ''    '  '  ' 

Now  hope  ii  rxtinguiihed  and  paiiion  li  dead  t 

I  have  lost  in  yuuth'it  morn  all  that  life  can  endear, 

And  though  I  aeem  cheerru!,  I  (mile  through  a  tear. 

My  parenti,  though  humble,  are  happy  and  good, 
'"    '         We  could  boaat  of  our  honor,  if  not  uf  our  blood;  '.  V< 

:,■■(,■■.         My  lover — oh !  how  the  lad  tale  shall  I  tell !        ,,■  .  .^  ' 

,  For  Poland  he  fought,  and  for  freedom  he  fell ; 

'    '   '     '         lie  was  noble  and  brave — to  my  soul  he  wa»  dear,  » 

>^  Hii  fame  claims  a  smile,  though  it  shines  through  a  tear. 

!"'■•;  In  vain  would  I  picture  my  agonized  heart,  >■''       .  ' 

^  .,    •  .My  jiiirents  oft  soothe,  yet  no  balm  can  impart —  ' 

They  wept  o'er  the  child— they  could  not  relieve, 
'  J>  '/  And  the  cold  hand  of  death  left  me  early  to  grieve  ;     .(  .|  i  -       i 

,  ..      -      ^,     ;    .,        They  sleep  in  the  grave — the  loved  and  the  dear,  i    ..      . 

,  Yet  though  I  seem  happy,  I  smile  through  a  fear.  '  ' 

Von  Schoultz  was  an  elegant  scholar — a  good  military  engineer — and 
spoke  several  languages  with  great  fluency.     His  father  was  a  general 
in  the  glorious  Polish  liberating  army,  and  he  fell,  covered  with  wounds, 
beneath  the  towers  of  Warsaw.     His  son  attained  the  rank  of  colonel 
under  Napoleon,  and  had  been  a  resident  in  America  for  several  years. 
No  man  was  ever  more  beloved  by  his  companions  in  arms,  or  possessed 
more  the  power  of  fascinating  his  enemies,  who  implored  his  life  from 
that  cold-blooded   villain, — Sir  George  Arthur.     Yet,  like  every  other 
boon  of  mercy,  he  refused  to  grant  it.     His  last  parting  with  us  was  ex- 
tremely touching.     He  had  a  kind  word  for  each — he  exhorted  us  to  die 
like  men.     Fie  received  the  supreme  consolations  of  religion,  and  died  in 
a  firm  hope  of  heaven.     When  leaving  prison,  he  shook  hands  with  the 
officers  of  the  83rd,  whose  friendship  he  had  won  by  his  noble  traits  of 
character  ;  and  not  a  dry  eye  was  among  them.     They  had  exerted  them- 
selves  warmly  in  his  behalf;  but  the  reply  of  the  governor  was,  that  "  he 
would  hang  Von  Schoultz  ;  for  he  deserved  death,  if  no  other  one  was  exe- 
cuted."     Supplication  was  useless;  and  he  prepared  fearlessly  to  meet 
his  fate.     He  marched  with  a  firm  step  to  the  gibbet.     There  he  present- 
ed his  confessor  with  his  golden  snuff-box,  which  had  been  restored  to 
him  in  prison ;  and  adjusting  the  rope  upon  his  neck,  his  spirit  was  sever- 
ed from  its  clay  tenement,  for  a  home  in  heaven.     But  his  dying  legacy 
to  us  was,  that  he  had  been  deceived  by  the  false  patriots  at  the  "  battle 
of  Prescott,"  and  he  wished  that  their  conduct  should  be  exposed  to  the 
world.     (See  note  5th.)     Thus  perished  Niles  Guslaf  Scholtewiskii  Von 
Schoultz,  a  victim  upon  the  altar  of  liberty. 

There  was  a  double  loneliness  in  prison  when  we  came  to  know  and 
feel  that  he  was  dead — though  dead  to  the  world,  his  memory  is  embalmed 
in  a  hundred  erring  hearts,  and  the  strange  spell  that  he  wound  around 


r. 


'^• 


■-« 


# 


I. 


14 


WRIGHT'S  NARRATIVE. 


our  affections— death  alone  can  break  !  The  only  traitors  willing  to  sate 
their  lives  by  turning  queen's  evidence,  were  Chitman  and  Graves,  who 
appeared  against  Abbey  and  Greorge ;  but  the  most  of  the  testimony  was 
taken  in  private.  Both  these  men  received  a  ftiU  pardon  for  their  perfidy 
the  day  after  Von  3choultz's  execution.  Abbey  and  George  passed  our 
grates  for  the  condemned  cells.  Abbey's  brow  was  very  pale  and  care- 
worn ;  he  looked  but  little  a^  he  did  when  he  cheered  us  on  at  the  wind- 
mill, with  a  flushed  face  and  a  speaking  eye — ^there  was  a  wild  enthusi- 
asm about  him,  which  made  us  look  upon  him  with  more  of  pride  for  his 
reckless  bravery,  than  real  personal  love.  He  died  a  martyr's  death,  dis- 
playing an  extraordinary  fortitude  for  one  of  his  nervous  temperament. 
He  left  three  orphan  children  to  mourn  his  untimely  death,  (see  Note 
6th.)  None  but  the  blood-hound  Arthur,  and  his  satellites,  rejoiced 
in  his  demise.  Poor  George  was  almost  completely  unmanned  ;  his  dear 
wife  had  made  application  to  spend  an  hou;-  with  him,  but  was  re- 
fused,  and  this  inhuman  answer  was  made  to  her  entreaties — "  You  can 
see  him  when  dead,  but  not  before !"  The  thought  of  his  wife's  being  so 
near  him  added  a  poignancy  to  his  grief,  and  though  his  step  was  feeble, 
his  heart  was  firm  as  he  approached  the  grave.  His  dying  prayer  was 
that  the  Lord  would  reward  those,  according  to  their  works,  whose  dupe 
he  had  been  ;  and  whose  life  had  been  yielded  up  an  offering  to  that  Moloch 
of  the  Canadian  Revolution — ^^ false  sympathy."  His  corpse  was  deliv- 
ered to  his  heart-broken  wife,  whose  sorrows  none  can  soothe  save  death, 
that  healer  of  all  afflictions.  About  this  time  I  received  a  visit  from  my 
dear  father — he  was  the  second  person  permitted  to  see  the  prisoners 
since  our  capture — and  sweet  was  that  interview.  The  sheriff  refused 
my  father  the  privilege  of  praying  with  any  of  the  prisoners,  and  that 
(without  regard  to  his  age  or  occupation  as  a  clergyman)  in  a  most  insult- 
ing manner ;  he  however  permitted  him  to  leave  me  a  New  Testament. 
During  his  stay,  he  exhorted  the  Helper  of  the  weak  to  look  down  in 
mercy  upon  us  amid  our  sore  afflictions ;  he  told  us  of  Paul  and  Silas  in 
the  cell  at  Philipi,  and  of  Peter,  whom  the  angel  of  the  Lord  liberated 
from  prison ;  and  though  every  description  of  persons  were  gathered  to- 
gether — the  licentious,  the  profligate,  the  vile  and  the  profane,  all  came 
around  and  listened  to  him  as  one  fVom  the  dead,  (for  the  world  was  in 
truth  dead  to  us)  and  he  was  a  messenger  from  the  bright  earth  and  blue 
sky,  and  our  hearts  were  cheered  in  this  dark  hour  of  our  affliction,  ex- 
pecting daily  our  trials  and  death,  as  we  had  no  hope  of  any  other  fate 
reserved  for  us.  And  now  he  departed,  and  all  was  gloom  and  dark  fore- 
bodings  of  the  future.  The  interview  seemed  not  over  ten  minutes,  though 
it  lasted  a  full  hour  ,  and  we  were  many  in  our  misery  and  desolation, 
incarcerated  in  the  leprous  dungeons  of  Fort  Henry.  On  the  morning 
of  the  19th  of  December,  Woodruff  was  executed.  He  met  his  death 
coolly  and  quietly — ^just  as  he  had  fought — no  timid  fear— no  soul-sick- 
ness and  dread  ;  but  with  an  eagle  eye  and  a  lion  heart.  He  fought  with 
invincible  courage,  and  contributed  largely  to  the  Prescott  victory ;  but 


less, 


mi- 


WRIGHT'S  NARRATIVE. 


16 


'*v: 


but 


m 


now  his  death-day  came,  "  sic  transit  gloria  mundi,"  (see  Note  7th.)    My 
trial  came  oa  the  22nd.     The  following  is  the  charge  that  was  preferred 

against  me  :  ?,i.,,.  ..,  ,  ..i       .- 

'« For  the  said  Stephen  S.  Wright,  on  the  12th  day  of  November, 
and  on  divers  other  days  between  that  day  and  the  sixteenth  day  of  No- 
vember, in  the  second  year  of  the  reign  of  our  Sovereign  Lady  Victo- 
ria,  by  the  grace  of  God,  of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland.  Queen,  defender  of  the  faith,  with  forces  and  arms,  at  the 
township  of  Augusta,  in  the  District  of  Johnstown  and  Province  of  Upper 
Canada,  being  a  citizen  of  a  foreign  State  at  peace  with  the  United  King- 
dom of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  that  is  to  say  the  United  States  of 
America,  having  joined  himself  to  several  subjects  of  our  said  Lady  the 
riueen,  who  were  there,  and  there  unlawfully  and  traitorously  in  arms 
against  our  said  Lady  the  Queen,  the  said  Stephen  S.  Wright,  with  the 
said  subjects  of  licr  said  majesty,  so  unlawfully  and  traitorously  in  arms 
as  aforesaid,  did  then  and  there,  armed  with  guns  and  bayonets  and  other 
warlike  weapons,  feloniously  kill  and  slay  divers  of  her  said  Majes- 
ty's loyal  subjects,  contrary  to  the  statute  in  such  eases  made  and  pro- 
vided,  and  against  the  peace  of  our  said  Lady  the  Queen,  her  Crown  and 
dignity.  You  are  hereby  notified  that  the  foregoing  is  a  copy  of  the 
charge  preferred  against  you,  and  upon  which  you  will  be  tried  before 
the  Militia  General  Court-Martial,  assembled  at  Fort  Henry,  in  the  Mid- 
land District,  on  Monday,  the  22nd  of  December,  1838.  You  will  forward 
to  me  the  names  of  any  witnesses  you  desire  to  have  summoned  for  your 
defence.     Dated  the  21st  day  of  December,  1838. 

"(Signed)      ^^         WM.  H.  DRAPER,    "     ' 
'        '^  Advocate  General." 

Oi  the  22nd  of  December  we  were  tried,  twelve  in  number :  but  a  few 
hours  before,  we  had  received  a  copy  of  the  above  charge,  and  we  had 
no  time  to  procure  witnesses,  and  we  were  denied  an  adjournment  for 
that  purpose.  Our  plea  was  "  Not  Guilty."  I  told  the  Judge  Advocate, 
George  Draper,  that  I  thought  it  was  unjust  to  be  tried  for  our  lives  and 
not  be  allowed  time  to  procure  witnesses.  He  answered  "  that  they 
would  do  no  good,"  and  I  thought  he  was  angry  at  my  remarJi.  I  then 
said  "  the  proceedings  of  the  court-martial  are  more  like  condemning 
than  trying  the  prisoners."  At  which  he  started  up,  and  called  me  an 
insolent  impertinent  scoundrel,  and  he  then  proceeded  to  business.  We 
were  all  tried  and  convicted,  including  the  examination  of  one  witness,  in 
twenty-eight  minutes,  in  a  very  summary  manner.  What  a  noble  spe- 
c  !en  of  justice  toward  Americans  in  Canada.  When  the  murderer, 
McLeod,  was  tried,  every  indulgence  was  allowed — adjournments,  wit- 
nesses, and  the  most  talented  counsel  in  the  Empire  State;  but  when  we 
poor  dupes  were  tried,  no  personal  or  national  protection  was  extended  to 
us,  and  no  noise  was  made  when  each  received  l»is  sentence  (after  a  de- 
liberation of  two  minutes)  of  death :  and  yet  we  massacred  not  tlxe  defence- 
less, we  destroyed  not  their  properly,  and  we  never  sent  living  men  on 


h 


#1 


It 


■■^ 


16 


WRIGHTS  NARRATIVE. 


board  a  burning  boat  into  a  "  hell  of  waters :"  yet  the  chains  of  the  eon> 
viot  and  the  tears  of  the  exile  were  ours.    We  returned  from  the  court-mar- 
tial condemned ;  dark  and  gloomy  were  our  forebodings,  and  the  days  pass- 
ed in  dreamy  suspense.  On  the  fourth  of  January,  1839,  Buckley,  Lawton, 
Phelps  and  Anderson,  were  dragged  to  the  gibbet.     Poor  Anderson  was 
so  ill  that  they  were  obliged  to  support  him  upon  the  scaflTold.     If  they  had 
taken  the  best  care  of  him,  he  would  doubtless  have  died  in  a  few  weeks ; 
but  then  the  inhuman  monsters  would  have  lost  the  shedding  of  his  patriotic 
blood,  which  gave  them  sensible  satisfaction,  as  upon  the  evening  after 
these  barbarous  murders.  Col.  Dundas  enjoyed  a  pleasure  party  together 
with  his  officers.     "Oh,  death!  where  is  thy  sting !  oh,  grave !  where  is 
thy  victory !"  when  called  to  die  in  so  glorious  a  cause  as  human  liberty. 
(See  Note  10th.)     Every  one  now  expected  that  his  turn  would  come  next. 
Mercy  had  fled — it  was  a  reign  of  terror  in  our  hearts.     The  last  that 
were  executed,  had  been  convicted  by  the  information  elicited  by  spie^ 
who  had  been  sent  among  them.     Days,  weeks  and  months  passed  in  the 
still  monotony  o*^  prison  life,  and  I  doubt  not  that  it  was  through  the  very 
great  exertion  of  our  friends,  that  our  sentence  was  commuted  from  death 
to  perpetual  banishment.     About  this  time  my  father  and  mother  arrived 
in  Kingston,  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  me  for  the  last  time.     My  poor 
mother  visited  me,  but  my  aged  father  was  not  permitted  to  view  with 
her  their  erring  child,  whom  misfortune  had  rendered  doubly  dear ;  and 
m.dny   years  passed  before  I   was  again    permitted  to  gaze   upon  the 
face  of  that  beloved  parent.     Through  my  tears  I  saw  her  depart,  and  I 
could  not  believe  that  we  had  met  on  earth  for  the  last  time.     We  were 
now  dishonored  by  a  visit  from  Sir  Allen  McNab  and  Captain  Drew,  (see 
Note  8th.)  The  former  was  a  tall,  imperious,  insolent-looking  man,  whose 
manners  were  course  and  vulgar,  and  whose  language  was  brutal  in  the 
extreme ;  and  this  was  the  man  who,  with  Col.  Prince,  ordered  twenty-four 
prisoners  of  war  to  be  shot  down  at  Windsor  in  cold  blood,  (see  Note  9th) 
whose  bodies  were  exposed  to  every  indignity,  and  many  of  them  eaten 
by  the  loathsome  swine.     The  soul  recoils  from  the  recital  of  such  horrid 
deeds  of  barbarity  in  a   Christian  land.      He    now  came  to  taunt  us 
with  his  beastly  slang,  which  his  low-lived,  half-drunken  companion  seem- 
ed  to  relish  very  highly.     He  asked  us  if  we  did  not  wish  to  murder  him, 
as  we  had  Lieut.  Johnson  at  the  windmill.  "  You  d — d  vile  Yankee  pirates, 
you  ought  to  be  hung ;  if  it  was  in  my  power,  the  d-»-l  should  have  you 
before  sunset ;"  at  which  his  companion  showed  his  teeth  in  an  applauding 
grin.     They  resembled  the  "  sans  culottes"  of  the   French  Revolution. 
Their  visit  lasted  about  half  an  hour,  and  every  day  the  lower  officers 
would  come  to  spend  an  hour  in  gloating  over  our  captivity,  and  glorying 
in  our  misfortune.     The  next  visit  of  importance  which  we  received  was 
from  Sir  George  Arthur,  ex-Grovernor  of  Van  Dieman's  Land,  and  suite. 
He  was  the  bloody  Robespiere  of  the  Canadian  Revolution.    His  face 
was  rather  expressionless  and  of  a  dull  withered  color,  and  his  form  was 
rather  undersize ;  but  his  eye  gleamed  from  beneath  its  h<  avy  bru^^h  with 


— .:?'V*J,je-;..U     -fit       .""Mifl 


WRIGHT'S  NARRATIVE. 


w  '4i, 


the  ferocity  of  a  blood-hound  breaking;  covo;*t.  Not  an  indication  of  the 
milk  of  human  kindness  shone  forth  in  any  of  his  actions.  His  conduct 
would  have  done  honor  to  any  convict  or  blaekjinard  who  had  been  eleva- 
ted to  his  situation.  Instead  of  consoling  uh  in  our  misibrtune,  he  made 
us  feel  the  bitterness  of  our  captivity,  calling'  us  bucanncrs,  pirates  and 
ruffians  ;  and  that  if  we  were  not  hung  we  should  Ijo  lif'e-sluves,  and  that 
wo  might  take  ins  word  for  it,  interlarding  his  conversation  with  horrid  iu>. 
l)recations  ;  and  he  appeared  to  gloat  over  our  misery  witli  tiie  joy  of  a  tiend 
incarnate.  We  all  felt  relieved  when  ho  departed,  and  we  surmised 
that  son>ethinff  wp  to  be  done  with  us  besides  death,  for  his  actions  seemed 
like  those  of  a  starving  tiger,  from  whose  mouth  some  precious  morsel  had 
been  torn  by  a  higher  power,  and  his  reproaches,  the  growl ings  of  the 
infuriated  animal ;  and  we  all  tliought  it  was  hard  enough  to  be  shut  out 
from  the  balmy  air  and  confined  in  a  vermin-infected  den,  with  loathsome 
food,  without  being  subjected  to  the  upbraidings  of  the  minions  of  Eng- 
land's crown.  Our  allowance  was  half  a  pound  of  miserable  meat,  and 
one  pound  of  bread  of  the  coarsest  and  mustiest  flour,  and  filled  with 
filth  that  delicacy  forbids  to  mentioji.  No  means  were  given  us  to  eat  or 
cook  but  a  box  stove,  and  twenty  in  each  room.  Thanks  to  the  good  peo- 
ple of  Jofierson  county,  we  were  furnished  with  the  means  to  procure 
comfortable  clothes.  The  rooms  were  illy  ventilated,  and  incrusted  with 
the  dreadfullest  vermin  that  ever  fed  upon  flesh  of  man.  All  the  beau- 
tiful spring  passed  away,  and  we  tasted  none  of  its  exhilarating  effects. 
But  when  July  fourth  came,  and  we  thought  of  the  thousand  crowded 
churches  in  the  land  of  the  free,  where  millions  of  happy  hearts  were 
bringing  meet  offerings  to  that  liberty  whose  claims  we  advocated  at  the 
sword's  point,  and  for  v  hich  we  received  a  dungeon  in  this  British  Bastile 
as  our  reward  j  we  sang  "  Hail  Columbia,  happy  land,"  and  our  hearts 
fluttered  as  m  spirit  we  visited  our  thrice  dear  kindred  and  our  iiative 
shores.  fiM-j^-  adt  ;:foqi;  ^^-yu  rf  ^juli  t*;?^^'iiif  --.y^  aatU  \ru\  mh 


»o.' 


CHAPTER  III.' 


Depart  from  Fort  Henry— Arrive  at  Quebec  via  Montreal— The  forged  Letter— The  Captain  lails  under 
tealed  orden — Aia  Prie*t'a  death  and  burial— Rio  Janeiro — Arrival  at  Hobatt  Town— oietcriptions  taken 
— Out  hard  fate. 


j;    -fj'ij'j'? 


On  the  22nd  of  September,  1839,  we  left  Kingston  on  board  a  canaT- 
boat.  We  were  loaded  whh  chains,  escorted  by  the  83rd  Regiment,  not 
knowing  whither  we  were  going  or  what  was  to  be  our  fate.  We  were 
eighty-one  in  number,  including  the  Windsor  prison*»rs.  We  arrived  at 
Montreal  on  the  second  day,  and  were  removed  to  the  steamboat  King 
William,  and  on  the  26th  we  were  again  removed  to  the  ship  Buffalo  that 
was  lying  off"  Quebec.  As  we  stood  upon  the  deck  I  gazed  forth  upon  that 
impregnable  fortress,  the  Gibraltar  of  America,  for  the  first  time.  I  thought 
of  our  brave  countryman,  Montgomery,  who  fell  fighting  with  unparalleled 

2 


J 


It 


WRIGHT'S  NARRATIVE. 


!■ 


u 


oourage  upon  the  battlements  of  the  citadel ;  and  of  Wolfe,  th*  amU. 
tious  and  chivalrous  Briton,  who  sank  to  sleep  in  the  amns  of  victory 
upon  the  Plains  of  Abraham  ;  and  of  Montcalm,  the  generous  and  daring, 
whose  grave  was  scooped  out  by  the  shell  which  destroyed  his  life.  And 
oould  Wolfe's  bones  repose  beneath  that  white  pyramid,  which  rose  amid 
the  rooks  and  trees  so  pure  and  bright,  and  see  his  blood-bought  citadel 
in  the  hands  of  t}  ants  ? — the  degenerate  sons  of  once  noble  ancestors ! 
About  this  time  the  following  forged  letter  was  received  by  my  parents, 
indited,  doubtless,  by  some  of  the  creatures  of  Sir  George  Arthur—- so 
that  they  in  fact  knew  whither  we  were  bound  long  before  the  news  reach- 
ed me,  as  our  captain  sailed  under  sealed  orders. 

"  Quebec,  26th  September. 
"  My  dear  Father,  Mother,  Brothers  and  Sisters  : — We  are  to  go  on 
board  the  ship  Buffalo  this  evening  for  New  South  Wales — we  expect 
that  we  are  to  sail  immediately.  I  hope  that  none  of  you  will  mourn  for 
me.  I  am  in  good  health  and  spirits,  considering  my  hard  fate ;  yet  I 
feel  thankful  to  the  wise  Disposer  of  events,  who  has  enabled  me  to  bear 
up  under  the  trials  I  have  undergone.  In  him  I  put  my  trust,  and  have 
hope  that  he  will  watcK  over  me,  and  that  I  yet  may  return  to  my  rela- 
tions in  my  native  land.     Grod  bless  you — farewell. 

"  Yours,  most  affectionately, 

"  S.  S.  WRIGHT." 


•■liff^S'.   -%imfn 


Our  captain  was  a  kind,  humane  man  :  when  his  orders  were  opened, 
we  found  that  we  were  bound  for  Van  Dieman's  Land  direct.  We  had 
rather  an  unpleasant  storm  while  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  but  we 
were  kept  close  in  the  hold  until  upon  the  broad  miean.  Our  ship's  crew 
consisted  of  fifty-seven  Lower  Canadians  and  eighty-one  from  the  Upper 
Province,  and  one  hundred  and  thirty  sailors,  soldiers  and  noarines.  For 
the  first  time  we  realized  that  we  were  upon  the  glorious  sea,  that  has 
been  so  well  sung  by  Proctor  :  ,...-.     . , 

"  The  wide,  the  blua,  the  ever  free —  , 

Without  a  mark,  without  a  bound,  "> 

r^,  It  rum  .'tb.  the  earth's  wide  region!  round.  '  /      . 

It  playi  with  the  eloudi,  it  moclci  the  lidei, 
Or  liiie  a  cradled  creature  liei."  ''     '■'  .)  i.   ;,;-, 

It  was  a  glorious  sight  to  gaze  upon  the  vast  expanse  of  bright  blue 
waters,  reflecting  heaven  in  their  depths,  and  catch  the  soft  balmy  breezes 
ftorn  the  tropics  (for  only  on  fair  days  we  were  permitted  the  luxury  of 
being  on  deck,  and  then  only  twenty-four  at  once,  when  all  the  soldiers 
and  marines  kept  a  good  look-out,  forming  a  complete  guard  around  us,) 
and  watch  the  stormy  petrel,  that  bird  of  the  waters,  upon  our  lee — and 
catch  the  glimpse  of  a  snowy  sail  far  away  in  the  dim  perspective  of  the 
distance. 

i  After  being  at  sea  about  five  weeks,  there  was  a  conspiracy  formed  to 
take  the  ship :  about  eight  prisoners  were  engaged  in  it  zealously,  and  as 
there  were  but  two  sentries,  and  the  marines  and  soldiers  all  nnarmed, 


WRIGHT'S  NARRATIVE. 


10 


and  there  being  but  one  thin  paneled  door  between  us  and  where  the 
arms  were  stacked,  had  we  all  been  united,  we  would  have  succeeded 
beyond  a  doubt ;  but  treachery  displayed  itself  in  our  midst.  The  night 
previous  to  the  consummation  of  our  hopes,  two  Judases  accidentally 
overheard  the  names  of  those  concerned  in  it,  and  reported  the  same  to 
the  captain — their  names  were  Terrell  and  Smith — and  on  the  evening 
when  we  were  to  commence  our  operations,  the  hatches  were  bolted  down, 
the  sentries  doubled,  the  soldiers  and  marines  were  called  to  arms,  the 
arnrjs  were  removerl  from  their  former  location  and  placed  in  the  gun-room, 
and  for  two  weeks  we  were  not  permitted  to  go  on  deck  ;  and  when  we 
did  the  sailors  had  cutlasses,  and  every  man  was  armed,  and  the  guard 
was  stricter  than  ever — yet  not  a  syllable  escaped  the  captain  on  the  sub. 
ject  of  the  mutiny.  One  of  our  number,  Asa  Prost,  of  Auburn,  N.  Y., 
began  to  decline.  The  ship's  surgeon  said  that  he  had  no  particular  dis- 
ease, save  that  of  a  broken  heart — no  remedies  produced  any  effect.  He 
had  left  a  wife  and  five  children,  dependent  upon  his  labor  for  sustenance, 
and  his  constant  wail  was  for  home,  its  ease,  its  joys  and  its  affections. 
Yet  so  patient  amid  all  his  sufferings,  so  kind  and  forgiving  to  his  ene- 
mies,  and  endowed  with  superior  mental  qualifications,  that  wr  grieved 
much  at  his  depai'ture.     He  had 


ii  V 


•tr  n 


'^  J",  ol"*  I   -" 


'  An  eye  of  most  trnnsimrent  light, 
Wliii'h  nlinnit  made  tbe  dungeon  bright ; 
And  nut  unc  grnaii  or  murmur,  not 
i>iie  sirli  o'er  liis  untinielv  lot. 

*****     »l  "r  1-, 


„.-f  >-■,,- 


•J 'I 


:!■■  ( 


•I 


5fl, 


'  I  in  \v  he  could  nni  hold  his  head  *    'j,'  '"  i 'i'' i  u<i':f  \'iiT,:  '  v;;.  V 

Nor  lift  Ills  (lying  hand — nordeitd,  /•);»»  J 

Though  har.l  lie  nrove,  yet  strove  in  vnin,  "  _  ■'P'^"' '■'"^  *.VI.HVVi 

To  brenthe  the  fresh,  pure  nir  again."         Xfij.  tf^y -'itsViVV  '    *jj.{  ,«?j 'Vj 


I  came  near  him  and  bent  my  ear  to  his  lips  ;  the  struggling  spirit 
softly  echoed  the  names  of  his  household  idol?.  "  Wife  and  dear  children, 
may  God  bless  them  !"  and  the  last  words  died  upon  his  tongue.  It  was 
a  saddening  sight  to  view  the  living  and  the  dead  mingled  together  in  the 
ship's  hold,  and  to  feel  that  no  kindred  would  close  his  eyes  or  ever  know 
where  he  slept,  far  away  where  the  blue  waters  flow,  and  the  winds  and 
waves,  free  and  unfettered,  moaning  forth  his  dirge  and  requiem.  May 
his  children  ever  remember  that  the  blood  of  a  heart-broken  martyr  ran 
m  his  veins.  He  died  at  midnight,  and  the  next  morning  his  body 
was  committed  to  the  deep.  Four  of  our  number  were  allowed  to  see  the 
burial.  Prayers  from  the  service  of  the  church  of  England  were  read 
over  the  body,  which  was  sunk  in  silence  in  the  waters  of  the  Atlantic. 

The  last  of  November  we  reached  Rio  Janeiro  and  cast  anchor  for  water 
and  sea- stores.  It  was  during  the  celebration  of  the  emperor's  birth-day.  . 
The  harbor  streamed  with  the  flags  of  every  nation  in  the  world,  and  tbsxe^' 
the  stripes  and  stars  gladdened  our  eyes.  Relieved  by  a  back  groun4«pftilSi- 
ceeding  beauty,  the  spires  of  a  hundred  cathedrals  glittered  like  Itfjmd^- 
ed  gold  as  they  pointed  the  soul  to  heaven  ;  and  behind  the  city,  W*»  lofty 
mountains  of  every  variety  of  grandeur  and  sublimity.     Around  xw  l»y 

2* 


fl'( 


ti'^- 


■■■*-,■, 


#!* 


20 


WRIGHTS  NARRATIVK. 


islands,  while  a  thousand  plcasuro.boats,  plidino:  as  butterflies  upon  the 
waters,  pnlivon»;d  the  scene.  Tiiis  city  is  tlio  hujjtist  and  most  nouri.shing 
in  South  America.  Its  bay  nn<l  harbor  is  studded  with  a  hundred  islands, 
and  said  to  surpass  iu  beauty  that  of  the  I'ar-faiuod  Naples.  The  shore 
rises  jCfcntly  into  wooded  lulls,  pliinted  with  villas  nnd  convents,  and  above 
towers  Mount  Corovado,  wli>)so  sides  are  covered  with  shrubs  of  pristine 
loveliness  nnd  beauty.  As  wo  lay  there  prisoners,  we  could  hear  the 
sv.elling  .strains  of  martial  music  sound  sadly  upon  our  ears,  and  tho 
bravos  "pf  the  niultitudes  who  swarmed  upon  the  shores."  Our  ship 
wa.s  visited  by  an  Kn.rrlish  admiral  auft  a  post  captain.  Their  conduct 
was  respectful,  and  unlike  that  we  had  previously  received  from  those 
who  held  much  higher  situations;  convincing  us  that  it  was  but  the^cu^M 
of  England  who  ruled  in  Canada.  The  Methodist  missionary  located  here, 
paid  us  a  visit,  and  inquired  kindly  what  had  been  our  treatment  upon 
the  voyage  ;  and  he  also  gave  us  some  Bibles. 

Five  days  after  our  arrival  we  again  set  sail  for  Van  Dieman's  Land, 
and  after  the  usual  monotony  of  a  sea  voyage,  we  arrived  on  the  14th  of 
February,  1840,  in  the  harbor  of  ITobart  Town.  The  first  object  that 
greeted  our  sight,  was  Mount  Wellington,  which  overhangs  the  town,  and 
which  loomed  above  the  waves  long  before  the  town  at  its  base  was  in 
sight.  Our  descriptions  were  taken  by  an  officer  and  his  clerks :  he 
was  superintendent  of  convicts.  At  the  time  the  following  questions  were 
asked  :  "  What  is  your  name  ?  what  is  your  trade  ?  what  is  your  age  1 
what  is  your  religion  ?  what  is  your  native  place  ?  where  were  you  tried  ? 
when  did  you  leave  Canada  ?  are  you  married  ?  are  your  parents  living  ? 
where  do  they  reside  ?  what  is  their  native  country  ?  what  is  their  religion  ? 
can  the  read  ?  can  they  write  ?  can  you  write  ?  what  is  your  number  1 
After  all  the.se  questions  were  answered,  a  minute  examination  was  made 
of  our  bodies,  and  every  mole,  scar  and  spot  was  recorded,  and  our  height 
and  weight  was  taken  into  consideration  so  that  we  could  be  identified  in 
the  event  of  an  escape.  All  this  minutite  was  particularly  inserted  and 
afterward  read  over  to  each,  and  signed  with  his  own  hand.  We  were 
then  taken  to  Sandy  Bay,  near  Hobart  Town,  and  placed  in  a  yard  as  if 
we  had  been  cattle.  All  our  clothes  were  taken  from  us,  and  the  prison- 
ers'  dress  put  on,  which  consisted  of  a  jacket,  a  pair  of  pantaloons,  a  cap 
and  a  pair  of  shoes.  The  body  of  the  dress  was  black  and  yellow,  half 
and  half,  and  made  of  a  miserable  woollen  material.  It  resembled  the 
dress  of  a  clown  or  the  plumage  of  a  magpie,  and  lasted  about  one  month  ; 
and  allowed  but  two  suits  a  year,  we  had  three  months  to  go  half  naked, 
to  say  the  least.  The  cap  was  leather,  and  fitted  close  to  our  well-sheared 
heads.  When  the  clothes  were  all  worn  out,  and  the  homely-made  shoes 
had  fallen  to  pieces,  we  were  bare-footed,  ai;d  had  but  a  small  blanket 
tied  about  us  to  hide  our  nakedness.  Exposed  to  biting  winds  and  storms 
of  sleet  and  snow,  the  huts  in  which  we  slept  were  built  of  slabs  set  up 
endways,  very  poorly  thatched,  and  the  top  covering  thin  and  leaky,  giving 
us  the  benefit  of  rather  a  free  circulation  of  air.     In  fact,  we  were  at  the 


.1* 


'?il»  "V'!J|,fVl»( 


^'V, 


i/i*; 


\VRI(;nrs  NARRATIVE. 


91 


mercy  of  tho  wcathor  ; — our  lloor  was  tlie  j^nmud,  utiil  after  a  rain,  pools  of 
wfttor  stood  for  hours  in  tho  hut.  No  fire  was  allowed  us  either  to  warm 
or  dry  our  rlothinj,';  our  (ood  was  half  u  [louud  of  meat  and  one  pound  of 
bread  ;  the  meal  was  generally  fetid  and  sometimps  filled  with  vonnin— 
bony  and  striuj^'y — and  any  well. fed  doir  wouhl  have  refused  to  eat  it. 
Our  bread  was  composed  of  oats,  barley  and  rice,  with  a  little  wheat  rrround 
together ;  all  tho  fine  flower  sifted  out,  and  we  were  given  the  coarse  ;  it 
was  bread  that  even  a  Grahamitc  would  have  starved  upon.  Such  wan 
our  faro. 

On  tho  morning  of  tho  17th  wo  were  paraded  in  a  line,  and  the  gov. 
ernor  of  the  island,  Sir  John  Franklin,  (the  great  navigator)  made  his 
entro  with  his  suite.  Wo  were  then  ordered  to  take  off  our  caps,  which 
was  obeyed.  Ho  is  an  old  man  and  is  ruled  by  his  counsellors,  who  ride 
over  thf  people  rough-shod  ;  but  it  is  considered  freedom  to  the  anarch}'  and 
confusion  that  prevailed  during  the  governorship  of  the  "  bloody  execu- 
tioner," Sir  George  Arthur.  Ho  looked  like  a  honvivant,  without  any  strong 
marks,  save  obesity  and  imbecility.  Tho  noble  and  generous  Captain 
Wood  accompanied  him.  Let  me  here  return  our  united  thanks  to  Lady 
Colburn,  who  kindly  supplied  us  with  drafts  and  chess-boards  to  while 
away  the  tedium  of  our  voyage,  as  well  as  the  captain  of  the  good  ship 
Buffalo,  whose  unabated  kindness  will  never  bo  forgotten,  and  the  feeling 
manner  with  which  ho  discharged  his  arduous  duties.  The  governor 
commenced  a  set  speech  in  a  slow  nasal  tone,  and  after  proceeding  for  a 
few  minutes — the  amount  of  which  was  that  he  had  received  no  orders 
regarding  us  from  the  home  Government — he  ended  by  asking  the 
captain,  what  had  been  our  conduct  during  the  voyage?  The  answer 
'•  remarkably  well,"  was  very  satisfactory  to  us  ;  and  the  governor  then  or- 
dered that  we  should  be  set  to  work  upon  the  roads  for  Government,  admon- 
ishing us  at  the  same  time  to  behave  ourselves,  or  we  would  fare  hard ;  and 
he  and  his  suite  departed.  The  overseers  whom  the  superintendent  placed 
over  us  were  men  of  the  worst  sharacters ;  being  felons  and  convicts,  hav- 
ing  been  condemned  for  the  most  awful  crimes  that  shuddeiring  humanity 
records  : — arson,  theft,  murder,  rape,  burglary,  forgery.  We  were  har- 
nessed two  and  two,  four  being  placed  before  each  cart.  We  wore  then 
marched  to  work  a  distance  of  two  miles :  when  we  had  reached  the 
quarry  of  broken  stone,  we  were  ordered  to  fill  them.  The  bodies  of  the 
carts  were  about  six  feet  long,  four  wide,  and  two  deep.  We  were 
then  obliged  to  draw  the  carts,  avcH  filled,  laden  with  from  fifteen  to  eight- 
een hundred  weight,  and  drag  them  over  broken  ground  one  mile ;  and  draw 
thirteen  loads  each  day  through  rain  and  shine,  wet  and  dry,  rocks  and 
mud.  At\er  we  had  been  there  about  four  months,  four  of  our  number 
effected  their  escape.  They  had  been  so  dreadfully  worked,  that  they 
made  up  their  minds  to  die  in  being  taken  rather  than  to  endure  longer 
the  loathsome  curse  of  slavery.  The  broad  blue  sea  was  before  them, 
and  vessels  arriving  weekly  from  the  United  States*  The  temptation  was 
too  strong  to  be  resisted,  and  they  fled.     After  the  first  month  of  toil,  it  was 


"M 


I. 


■S^l 


uii\r.-r-:,m:LA  -• 


i»i 


'!    ./• 


^ 


II  wuiuiirs  NAiuuTivt:. 

frequent  that  w«'  fuiutpu  in  prrfurmiiig  our  tasks  that  worn  Impoted  Upon 
Ui  by  the  tbuh"»t  "'  tl»B  convicts  nf  the  km. aii  world;  and  night  after 
night  have  we  Imcii  draggled  to  the  huts  in  a  •tati>  of  uttor  proHirution  and 
insensibility.  And  if  wo  refused  to  do  the  tusks  injposed  upon  us,  we 
were  taken  bn(<»re  a  magistrate  (no  defence  being  pernniltod,)  and  sen- 
tence passed  upon  us  of  seven  days'  solitary  confinenjent  for  the  first 
oiTenco,  and  fed  during  the  time  upon  one.fourth  pound  of  bread  per  day. 
This  living  grave  was  a  vault  without  light,  with  an  uneven  Moor  flagged 
with  stoUe,  and  without  any  room  for  standing  erect ;  it  was  two  feet  vide 
and  six  in  length,  ventilated  with  irregular  crevices  in  the  wall.  In 
some  parts  of  the  body  the  blood  almost  stops  (circulation  while  undergo- 
ing this  inhuman  torture ;  and  this  we  received  for  the  most  trivial  in. 
discretion,  while  the  filth  of  these  dens  of  infamy  surpasses  all  descrip. 
tion.  The  lirst  time  that  I  was  incarcerated  it  was  for  the  following  hein- 
ous misdemeanor :— On  returning  from  work  iu  the  midst  of  a  perfect 
tempest  of  rain  and  piercing  wind,  and  being  wet  to  the  skin,  and  seeing 
a  good  cheertul  tire  burning  in  the  cook's  room,  I  committed  the  awful 
outrage  of  warming  my  shivering  limits  ;  and  that  taste  of  comfort  cost 
me  seven  days'  solitary  confieinent  upon  one.fourth  pound  of  bread  per 
day  and  filthy  water.  1  thought  with  Doctor  Franklin,  I  had  paid  a  little 
too  dear  for  my  whistle.  Abijut  this  time,  the  tour  prisoners  who  had  es- 
caped were  captured  upon  a  desolate  island,  six  miles  from  tlie  shore. 
The  boat  in  whicii  they  started  from  the  shore  in,  was  wrecked  upon  the 
rocks.  They  hud  subsisted  for  two  weeks  upon 'cockles  and  other  shell 
fish  ;  and  for  a  week  had  been  in  a  deplorable  and  starving  condition. 
When  taken,  two  of  them  were  nearly  dead ;  but  the  others,  by  dint  of 
iron  constitutions,  bad  survived  the  pains  of  starvation  with  unparalleled 
fortitude.  They  wore  tried,  and  setitenced  to  Port  Arthur,  a  penal  settle- 
ment,  fo  labor  in  irons  for  two  years.  Their  work  was  the  carrying  of 
shingles,  and  working  in  water  four  feet  deep,  and  every  night  they  were 
locked  in  a  separate  cell. 

After  being  here  for  some  months,  we  were  removed  to  a  station  it  the 
interior.  Our  removal  was  made  to  prevent  any  further  escape.  Our 
men  at  present  were  in  a  dreadful  situation,  and  like  so  many  swine,  were 
seen  to  eat  the  potatoe  skins  and  cabbage  stumps  that  were  cast  from  the 
door  of  a  chief  felon,  who  presided  over  us.  At  this  station  we  became 
acquainted  with  a  poor  fellow  whose  history  is  worth  recording.  He  was 
a  child  of  sin  begot  at  the  "  West  End"  of  London,  and  with  his  deserted 
mother  (a  victim  of  one  of  England's  lordlings,)  was  turned  out  to  shift 
for  himself  in  the  streets  of  the  Metropolis,  and  for  stealing  a  penny -loaf, 
was  sent  to  this  Procrustes  bed  of  despotism  for  life.  Others  were  sent 
from  conspiracies  and  malice,  and  others  for  not  resisting  temptation  and 
quietly  starving  to  death  in  "  merrie  auld  England."  The  next  statioa 
was  that  of  "  Lovely  Banks."  It  was  a  clear,  bright  morning  on  which  we 
started,  and  arrived  there  at  evening.  Here  our  labor  was  greatly  in- 
creased, as  we  were  engaged  in  building  the  road  between  Launceston 


I 


i 


i 


¥ 


■Hi- 


WKlUH'l  H  NAKKATIVj; 


f 


•ad  Hobart  Town,     ft  wan  the  law  of  thr  IkihI,  iJmt  any  p«rion  whogftTt 
th«  oouviutD  fiMxi  ur  tuliAcco,  and  the  hsiiu*  wum  Ibuiid  u|>on  our  pcrioni, 
tb«  donor  wait  liimd ;  and  we  wore  aubjeutod  to  not  less  than  seven,  and 
not  over  twur.ty-ono  days'  solitary  oonfmenient.     One  tivening,  for  refu- 
sing  to  curry  (in  an  cver-workod  and  debilitated  state,)  a  bar  of  iron, 
wtughing  one  hundred  |H)undN,  to  the  station,  the  distance  being  fourmilen, 
I  lay  in  uuu  of  those  living  gravos  one  week  ;  and  many  a  time  havo  've, 
barefooted,  and  in  the  snow  four  inches  deep,  gone  to  work  shivo ring  wiUi 
uuld,  half  naked,  with  our  bodies  wrap|)ed  in  tattered  blankets,  and  to 
httarae  with  colds  that  our  groans  alone  were  audible.     At  Sandy  Bay, 
LysaruJer  Curtis's  health  began  to  decline,  and  he  was  taken  to  the  hospi. 
tal,  but  was  remanded  back  to  work,  where  he  was  put  again  to  the  wheel* 
barnjw  ;  but  his  strength  was  I'nequal  to  the  task.     But  the  overseer  said 
he  should  wheel  the  load,  or  >'  j  might  die  at  the  quarry ;  and  the  poor 
fellow  supplicated  for  mercy  in  vain,  and  that  wan  his  last  day's  labor. 
Uf  fainted  upon  the  ground,  and  was  l)ornc  back  to  the  hospital,  where, 
with  no  alteudunue,  and  iir  great  agony,  he  perished  in  forty-eight  hours 
after  he  leU  the  road.     In  his  dying  wordu,  he  prayed  that  the  good  peo> 
plo  of  Ogden.'tburgh  would  kindly  remember  his  wife  and  children.     At 
thit*  place  William  Nattage  was  blown  u|)  by  blasting,  and  he  lingered  a 
few  dayti,  and  died  in  dreadful  spasms.      He  desired  that  his  family 
might  bo  provided  lor  by  the  lovers  of  liberty  in  Ohio.     Thus  the  valea 
of  Van  Dienian's  Land  are  whitened  by  the  bones  of  exiles  from  the  land 
of  Washington.     There  was  scarcely  a  station  where  some  of  our  num* 
ber  did  not  fade  from  the  earth  ;  and  to  look  back  and  think  of  our  hideout 
.situation,  where,  without  any  attention,  our  brethren  were  sick— died  and 
were  burirtd,  as  if  they  had  been  the  beasts  of  the  field,  or  the  fowls  of 
the  air,  is  horril>le.     The  scenery  of  the  island  would  require  the  pen 
of  a  poet,  or  the  pencil  of  a  painter,  to  do  anything  like  justice  to  iU 
The  trees  were  covered  with  a  foliage  of  peculiar  beauty,  and  hundreds 
of  warblers  from  the  wild- wood  .».oothed  us  at  our  work — while  the  moun- 
tains rose  in  ibrms  of  grandeur,  whose  tops  were  lost  amid  the  clouds 
of  heaven.     Nature  aeemed  to  console  us,  and  I  /eh  for  the  first  time  in 

my  life  that 

"  Man'u  inhumanity  to  man 
Makes  countlew  thouannds  mourn." 


I   '  'F  •ii''7't     li 


■(»/'» 


<    •'v.-.' 


],../?,< 


'!•■*■ 


;,,-.V    !:■:• 


■W    :■<■ 


.;»]   Lm 


•    CHAPTER    IV 


■■'f 


A'. 


>.4 ! ! 


WiUlami't  Daath— The  Traitnn— Bridgewatat— The  Rovernot'i  Vliit— The  Hotpital— Tlekf '•    ''•Lmv** 
Work  for  Mr.  Uarruw — Uii  kmtlneii— Morality  of  Van  Oieman'i  Land. 

A  PRISONER  now  died  whose  real  name  Avas  Steward,  but  who  was 
tried  under  the  nom  de  guerre  of  Williams  :  he  was  taken  with  the  inflam- 
mation of  the  eyes.  He  was  removed  to  a  small  place  upon  the  Derwent 
called  Norfolk,  where  through  negligence  he  died.     He  was  from  Cleve- 


"Ill 


24 


WRIGHT  H  NARRATIVE. 


\]4 


land,  Ohio,  and  was  considered  quite  talented.  His  age,  I  believe,  was 
twenty-six.  On  tiiis  station  were  Linus  W.  Miller  and  Joseph  Stewart. 
We  heard  there  were  some  American  whalers  at  Hobart  Town,  from  some 
convicts  fresh  from  there,  and  these  men  went  in  behalf  of  the  American 
captives,  to  see  what  chance  of  escape  might  offer,  and  report  the  same 
to  us.  The  former  was  a  young  lawyer  of  fine  talents — a  perfect  Em- 
met in  patriotism.  They  had  been  gone,  after  breaking  from  the  hut  at 
midnight,  about  ten  days,  and  the  h'^pe  of  our  liberty  seemed  brightening ; 
but  Orin  W.  Smith  and  James  Ri  Atcherson  betrayed  them  to  a  magis- 
tra'e,  and  they  ,vero  taken  on  their  return  from  the  sea-shore,  without 
our  ever  having  known  what  they  had  accomplished.  They  were  tried 
and  condemned,  and  sent  to  Port  Arthur  in  chains,  for  life.  Miller  was 
taken  a  prisoner  at  Windsor,  and  the  governor  told  us  at  his  next  visit,  that 
he  should  never  leave  the  penal  settlement  as  long  as  he  remained  upon 
thc>  island.  How  bitter  were  our  hearts  toward  our  betrayers  ! — and  every 
man  felt  deep'-'  for  the  fate  of  our  two  captured  brethren.  •  '• 

The  morning  after  their  discovery,  we  left  th*e  station  and  proceeded  to 
a  place  called  Green  Ponds,  and  here  Smith  and  Atcherson  received  their 
rewards  in  being  made  overseers  over  us.  We  charitably  thought  that  our 
>ywn  couniri/men  would  try  and  alleviate  our  misery  ;  but  alas  ?  we  found 
them  harder  task-masters  than  those  very  convicted  felons,  plucked  from 
the  lowest  sinks  of  vice  in  Great  Britain.  Such  is  the  fact — my  cheek 
blushes  to  record  it.  Smith  was  now  the  double  traitor — for  it  was  him  who 
played  false  on  board  the  Bultaiu.  They  now  tried  to  get  us  to  revolt — 
murder  the  soldiers — and  take  the  barracks ;  and  I  doubt  not  would  have 
succeeded,  as  we  were  ready  for  anything.  But  we  happened  to  over- 
hear a  conference  between  them ;  that  if  they  succeeded  and  gave  ihe 
Grovernment  timely  information,  they  would  thus  get  a  free  pardon  at  the 
sacrifice  of  all  our  lives.  Was  not  this  most  base,  unmanly,  and  ungener- 
ous ?  yet  "  let  it  be  told  in  Gath,  and  published  in  Ascalon,"  tha'  this 
same  manikin  Smith  is  from  French  Creek,  and  was  a  colonel  in  our  army, 
who  skulked  at  the  battle  of  Prescott,  and  was  afraid  to  fight  or  to  run 
away,  as  some  of  his  superiors  bad  set  him  the  example.  Poor,  pitiable 
wretch  !  "  may  the  Lord  reward  nim  accordmg  to  his  \/'jrks."  As  a  kind 
of  extra  work,  we  we  obliged  to  cut  and  draw  from  lour  to  six  loads  of 
wood,  over  a  mountainous  road,  the  dist.ince  of  four  miles  per  day  ;  and 
that  too,  with  bleeding  feet  and  lacerated  bodies,  chilled  and  wet ;  yet  not 
even  -permitted  to  warm  ourseI.es  by  the  fire  it  made. 

We  now  left  Green  Ponds  for  Bridgewater,  within  twelve  miles  of  Ho- 
bart  Town.  I  now  joined  my  old  comrades  from  whom  I  had  been  parted 
for  many  months.  We  were  here  employed  in  building  a  briilge  across 
the  Derwent ;  we  were  obliged  to  quarry  stone  and  draw  it  a  mile,  and 
were  engaged  at  work  with  three,  and  often  four  hundred  other  convicts, 
mingled  together  in  the  loathsome  society.  Often  our  rations  were  stolen 
from  us.  Some  of  the  darkest  t^ays  of  my  captivity,  were  the  sixteen 
that  I  had  to  pass  among  such  &,  vast  number  of  the  oflfscourings  of  crea- 


1 


WRIGHT'S  NARRATIVE. 


25 


tion — the  dregs  of  the  vilest  of  the  vile.  The  tide  of  the  river  set  above 
where  we  were  at  work,  and  half  the  time  we  were  up  to  our  knees  in 
water. 

Now  W((  were  separated,  and  sent  to  different  parts  of  the  island  in  com- 
panies  of  ten  and  twelve.  The  squad  I  was  in,  went  to  build  a  new 
station  3f  Brown's  river  ;  there  we  had  to  carry  sh'.iglesand  timber  upon 
our  backs  for  one  mile.  There  were  several  hundred  prisoners  here,  and 
we  were  again  subjected  to  the  caprices  of  felon  overseers.  I  received 
twenty-one  days'  solitary  confinement  here,  for  not  telling  who  gave  me 
a  piece  of  tobacco.  After  we  had  been  here  three  weeks,  the  governor 
made  us  his  third  visit ;  he  inquired  about  our  conduct ;  the  superintendent 
told  him  that  we  were  the  best  men  to  work,  and  the  best  behaved  on 
the  station — the  crimes  of  the  other  ^jonvicts  being  that,  when  hard  press- 
ed with  hunger,  they  would  brea'it  from  their  huts  at  midnight,  and  trespass 
upon  the  nearest  potatoe  fields,  where  they  would  devour  them  like  half 
famished  swine.  In  a  short  time,  the  povernor  told  us,  we  should 
receive  "  tickets  of  leave,"  which  would  givo  us  the  liberty  of  the  island. 
He  read  us  the  Secretary  of  States'  letter,  which  informed  us  that  the 
Government  road  work  was  remitted  from  six  to  two  years,  and  then  we 
should  have  all  our  earnings.  I  have  since  learned  that  this  was  accom- 
plished through  the  means  of  Mrs.  Benjamin  Wait,  who  is  now  a  saint  in 
heaven.  To  her  memory  we  owe  eternal  gratitude  ;  for  I  doubt  not  that 
long  before  the  six  years  had  expired,  we  should  every  one  of  us  have 
fed  the  earth  worms  of  Van  Dieman's  Land.  We  felt  rejoiced  as  the 
day  of  our  liberation  drew  near  ;  every  Saturday  we  stripped  our  bodies 
and  washed  our  clothes  ;  and  for  the  offence  of  stealing  a  piece  of  beef, 
one  of  the  English  prisoners  received  the  following  sentence  from  the  magis- 
trate— "  seventy-five  lashes  from  the  cat-o'-nine-tails."  There  he  was, 
strung  upon  a  triangle,  and  the  executioner  run  his  fingers  through  the  lashes 
of  the  cat,  to  see  if  it  was  in  perfect  order,  and  after  the  first  blow,  shreds 
of  skin  and  flesh  were  flayed  oif  by  every  one  that  followed :  no  groan  or  cry 
was  uttered,  but  his  face  looked  the  perfect  picture  of  agony.  A  surgeon  was 
by,  and  occasionally  felt  his  pulse,  making  him  bear  to  the  very  highest  de- 
gree  all  the  torture  that  the  system  could  stand,  without  destroying  his 
life.  And  when  the  bloody  deed  was  finished,  a  pail  of  brine  was  dashed  over 
his  torn  and  quivering  back,  and  yells  of  horror  and  pain  broke  from  his 
ashy  lips.  Oh  Heaven!  how  are  thy  images  mutilated,  and  the  soul  tor- 
tured amid  the  pain^  of  its  tenement  of  clay.  Though  vile  and  erring, 
though  licentious  and  profligate,  can  they  not  return  to  that  fount  of  spirits 
from  whence  they  emanated  ?  though  soiled  and  earth-worn,  by  calling 
upon  Him  whose  holiest  name  is  Father  ?  And  yet,  reader,  hear  the  lan- 
guage of  one  of  the  ministers  of  the  church  of  England,  when  I  called 
upon  him  to  do  us  the  favor  of  preaching  a  funeral  sermon  upon  the  death 
of  Nattage,  on  the  following  Sabbath.  •'  Convicts  "^ve  no  souls,  f — people 
-s  vile  ought  not  think  of  such  honors — and  he  hoped  I  would  not  insult 
him  again  by  making  so  impertinent  a  request." 


I 


Mi 


36 


WRIGHT'S  NARRATIVE. 


!*§ 


While  "Vigaged  at  work  upon  this  station,  I  was  severely  wounded  by 
the  Tall  of  a  limb  upon  my  shoulder.  I  was  taken  to  the  hospital,  where, 
through  the  kindness  of  a  convict-pardoned  physician,  I  was  appointed 
attendant  about  four  months.  The  number  of  patients  varied  from  twenty 
to  forty  ;  and  wl.eu  any  of  them  died,  they  were  buried  like  so  many  car- 
rion oaroasftes.  The  naked  bodies  thrown  into  a  rough  box,  were  tumbled 
inco  pits.  The  most  unfriendly  and  unfeeling  disposition  was  ever  mani- 
fested by  the  surgeon  in  attendance,  who,  like  all  the  inhabitants,  consid- 
ered the  prisoners  as  no  better  than  brutes.  Southern  slavery,  in  its 
worst  form,  would  have  been  a  paradise  to  the  infernal  caprices  to  which 
we  were  ever  subjected.  When  engaged  in  doing  my  duty,  my  heart 
often  sickened,  as  the  maniac's  cry  came  forth  in  a  husky  voice  upon  my 
ear.  "  Write  !  yes,  write  to  my  mother  in  Scotland,  that  I  am  innocent. 
Qod  knows  it — let  me  rest  now — the  chains  grow  lighter — now  they  are 
off — I'm  free  !"  and  the  frenzied  -'ictim  sank  back  a  corpse.  And  often 
have  I  watched  the  big  death-tears  fall  from  the  eyes  of  the  repentant 
exiles,  when  the  memory  of  better  days  misted  their  souls  on  their  road  to 
heaven  ;  with  no  kindred  to  catch  their  latest  sigh,  or  cherish  their  expi- 
ring words.  The  fear  of  death  was  entirely  destroyed  by  the  sight  of 
such  horrid  sufferings ;  and  my  heart  bled  to  hear  them,  in  their  last  mo- 
ments, call  upon  the  names  of  their  households  beyond  the  sea.  Thi.  lu- 
natic's cry  was  for  home — dear  home — take  me  home  !  Its  well  remem- 
bered joys  haunting  him  through  sin  and  sorrow,  suffenng  and  shame. 
And  when  the  soul  broke  from  the  fetters  of  the  body,  it  was  joy  to  see 
the  image  of  God  sink  into  calm  repose,  unlortured  Ly  the  excruciating 
agonies  of  disease.  In  this  lazar-house  of  wo,  man}'  a  feeble  man,  having 
been  over-tasked  till  disease  was  generated,  was  sent  here  to  die  ;  «nd 
the  frailer  his  constitution,  the  sooner  were  his  miseries  ended.  No  res- 
pect  was  ever  paid  to  what  he  had  been.  The  blood-suckers  only  look 
and  see  what  he  is ;  and  the  "name  of  a  "  sick  convict,"  is  a  sure  passport  to 
the  grave.  I  was  glad  when  I  left  this  abode  of  death;  this  hell  of  human 
suffering,  and  again  returned  ♦©  work.  After  laboring  till  the  sixteenth  of 
February,  1842,  we  all  received  our  "  tickets  of  leave."  But  instead  of 
their  giving  us  the  liberty  of  the  whole  island,  we  tound,  upon  examina- 
tion, that  they  were  confined  to  six  of  the  interior  districts  only.  Our 
"  tickets  of  leave"  were  granted  us  at  Hobart  Town ;  yet  we  were  liable, 
at  a  moment's  warning,  to  be  called  into  the  service  of  Grovernment ;  and 
we  were  most  unceremoniously  hurried  out  of  town,  for  fear  some  of  our 
number  might  escape.  That  night  we  prepared  to  sleep  in  the  woods  sev- 
eral miles  from  town ;  but  a  kind  tavern-keeper  came  and  invited  us  to 
lodge  at  his  house,  near  by.  All  our  clothes  had  been  purloined  by  her 
majesty's  officers,  (some  of  us  had  two  or  three  good  suits,)  and  the 
icst  were  destroyed  by  rats.  When  we  started,  the  next  morning,  we 
looked  like  a  flock  of  half-picked  Bob-a-lincums,  chattering  with  pleas- 
ure, like  so  many  magpies.  It  was  three  days  before  I  found  employ- 
ment.    All  the  people  looked  upon  us  as  so  many  scape -gallows,  and  vag- 


inded  by 
,  where, 
ppointed 
n  twenty 
any  car. 
tumbled 
er  mani- 
consid> 
y,  in  its 
to  whioh 
ny  heart 
upon  my 
nnocent. 
they  are 
!Lnd  often 
epentant 
rroad  to 
eir  expi- 
sight  of 
last  mo. 
The  ^u- 
reniem- 
d  shame, 
oy  to  see 
ruoiating 
1,  having 
ie  ;    uud 
No  res- 
mly  look 
assport  to 
)f  human 
cteenth  of 
instead  of 
examina- 
ly.     Our 
ire  liable, 
lent;  and 
nne  of  our 
k'oods  sev- 
ited  us  to 
3d  by  her 
>  and  the 
-ning,  we 
ith  pleas- 
employ. 
,  and  vag. 


WRIGHT'S  NARRATIVE. 


27 


1 


abends.  Some  laughed  at  us  ;  and  a  comical  figure  wo  cut,  sans  culotte. 
Others  gave  us  old  clothes.  We  were  all  rags  and  tatters — pale  and 
wail.  In  unifnrni  no  militia  could  hold  a  candle  to  us.  Misery  likes 
company,  and  we  had  enough  of  both.  A  kind  man,  on  the  road,  lent  me 
a  dollar  to  buy  food.  I  was  first  employed  at  Rothwell,  for  three  weeks, 
by  a  wheelwright,  who  procured  me  some  decent  clothing ;  and  I  then  went 
to  work  for  a  Mr.  Barrow,  a  chief  magistrate,  who  very  kindly  advan- 
ced me  five  pounds.  This  gentleman  deserves  my  sincere  thanks ;  for 
my  stay  was  rendered,  the  three  months  I  was  with  him,  as  pleasant  as 
kindness  and  attention  could  make  it  from  his  beautiful  and  accomplished 
wife,  and  her  amiable  sister  ;  and  at  times  the  poor  exile  almost  forgot  his 
bondage.  In  fact,  after  the  hardships  we  had  endured,  it  was  pleasant 
to  call  what  we  earned  by  the  sweat  of  our  brows,  our  own.  He  lives 
in  the  style  of  an  English  nobleman — kept  horses  and  hounds — was  a 
capital  shot,  and  an  excellent  whip— could  back  a  horse  through  thick 
and  thin,  over  hill  and  dale,  rock  and  wood.  Kangaroo  hunting  was  his 
delight.  He  permitted  me  free  access  to  his  library,  where  I  found  files 
of  American  papers,  and  my  eyes  devoured  their  contents  with  unre- 
strained delight.  With  great  regret  I  parted  from  this  interesting  fam- 
ily. Mr.  Barrow  told  me,  if  ever  I  had  any  need  of  his  aid,  to  call  on 
him,  and  it  should  be  freely  given.  T  would  here  remark,  that  before 
strangers  he  was  cold  and  distant  toward  me ;  but  wiien  with  his  fam- 
ily, he  was  very  kind  and  familiar. 

I  went  to  Campl>elltown,  where  I  joined  an  association  of  mechanics, 
got  up  by  our  comrades.     I  am  sorry  to  say  it  proves,  as  yet,  more  agree- 
able than   lucrative.      The   Government  regulations  concerning  ticket- 
of-leave-men,  were  rigid  :  forbidding  any  prisoner  being  in  the  street  after 
8  o'clock.     I  was  only  once  caught  out,  and  had  my  head  shaved,  and  was 
confined  seven  days  in  the  living  grave  that  I  have  previously  described. 
We  were  all  obliged  to  attend  church  every  Sabbath,  and  in  case  of  a 
refusal,  were  severely  punished.     I  have   frequently  seen  the  priest  so 
drunk  that  he  could  hardly  stand  upright,  while  hickuping  forth  the  prayers, 
and  once  he  actually  fell  V; nile  descending  the  steps  of  the  pulpit.     He 
was  publicly  known  to  be  a  notorious  inebriate,  and  h'e  wife  had  been 
caught  in  adultery.     The  island  is  governed  by  a  govtmcr,  a  council, 
a  court  of  queen's  bench,  and  a  chief  magistrate — all  appointed  by  the 
home  Govermnent ;  and  many  other  officers,  upon  the  recommendation 
of  the  first  executive  officer.      All  laws  lose  their  force  in  Van  Dieman's 
Land  ;  bribery  and  corruption  attending  poor  justice  at  every  turn  as  her 
favorite  handmaidens.     The  manners  of  the  people  are  gross  and  sensual  : 
— they  are  composed  of  pardoned  convicts,  blacklegs,  gamblers  and  lib- 
ertinee,  and  many  are  entirely  destitute  of  morals  and  common  decency. 
As  soon  as  we  discovered  some  of  our  brethren  inclined  to  inebriation, 
we  formed  a  little  temperance  society,  and  we  doubt  not  tiiat  it  has  saved 
them  many  weeks  from  the  wretchedness  of  those  living  graves.    The  con- 
taminating influence  of  such  a  society  of  villains,  none  can  describe.    There 


98 


WRIGHT'S  NARRATIVE. 


is  an  article  which,  if  imported  there,  would  command  the  highest  price*, 
it  is  female  virtue — licentiousness,  libertinism,  drunkenness  and  debauch- 
ery, being  the  order  and  fashion  of  the  day  ;  and  a  really  virtuous  person  is 
looked  upon  Avith  as  much  disgu.st  there  as  a  vicious  one  is  here.  Exceptions 
to  this  general  rule  are  very  extraordinary.  Besides  these,  there  are 
many  other  vices,  too  loathsome  to  mention : — every  woman,  after  she 
has  been  married  six  weeks,  prefers  any  man  to  her  husband.  Virtue 
goes  unrewarded,  and  vice  is  protected  in  this  land  of  Van  Demons, 


r 


•Jv.  n 


CHAPTER    V, 


"JV' 

..'♦I   K-.i-.  "/Ill 


The  Aborigines  of  Vnn  Dieman's  Land— Features — Knowledge  of  a  Supreme  Being— Acuteneu  of  Dis- 
crimination— Habits— Arms — Diseases — Number — Inducements  held  out  by  the  Gorernment  to  Settlers 
—Bush-rangers— Offer  of  Pardon  to  those  assisting  in  their  Capture — Capture  and  Execution  of  two — 
Grant  of  Free  Pardon,  etc.,  etc. 

For  many  of  the  following  facts  regarding  tne  aborigines  of  Van  Die- 
man's  Land,  I  am  indebted  to  Frezcinct,  Widdowsons,  and  other  valuable 
works  upon  this  interesting  subject.  So  little  is  known  of  these  sons  of 
nature — and  still  lei's  has  been  done  to  give  any  knowledge  of  them — - 
that  not  much  can  be  offered  as  to  their  state  formerly.  From  what  I 
have  read,  the  natives  of  Van  Dieman's  Land  are  unlike  any  other  In- 
dians, either  in  features,  their  mode  of  living,  hunting,  &c.  There  are 
many  hundreds  of  people  who  have  lived  for  years  in  the  Colony,  and  yet 
have  never  seen  a  native.  *  »  >i«  *  * 

The  features  of  these  people  are  anything  but  pleasing :  a  large  fiat 
nose,  with  immense  nostrils ;  lips  particularly  thick ;  a  wide  mouth,  with 
a  tolerably  good  set  of  teeth  ;  the  hair  long  and  woolly,  which,  as  if  to 
confer  additional  beauty,  is  besmeared  with  red  clay  (similar  to  our  red 
ochre)  and  grease.  Their  limbs  are  badly  proportioned.  The  women 
appear  to  be,  generally,  better  formed  than  the  men.  Their  only  cover- 
ing  is  a  few  kangaroo  skins,  rudely  stitched,  and  thrown  over  the  shoul- 
ders ;  but  more  frequently  they  appear  in  a  state  of  nudity.  Indeed,  so 
little  knowledge  have  they  of  decency  or  comfort,  that  they  never  avail 
themselves  of  the  purposes  for  which  apparel  is  given  to  them.  Lieut. 
Collins,  in  his  account  of  the  natives  of  Van  Dieman's  Land,  describes 
their  marriage  ceremonies  as  being  the  most  barbarous  and  brutal ',  and 
I  have  also  heard  from  individuals  who  have  visited  the  country,  that 
it  is  not  uncommon  to  see  a  poor  woman  almost  beaten  to  death  by 
her  lover,  previous  to  his  marrying  her.  From  the  shyness  of  the  na- 
tives of  Van  Dieman's  Land,  and  the  constant  warfare  that  has  been  car- 
ried on  between  them  and  the  remote  stock-keepers,  (which  is  not  likely 
to  render  them  more  familiar,)  I  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain  whether 
there  is  any  trace  of  religion  among  them,  or  if  thny  have  the  slightest 
idea  of  a  Supreme  Being.  I  believe,  and  it  is  generally  supposed,  they 
have  not. 


WRIGHTS  NARRATIVE 


99 


«*  It  is  but  fair  to  remark,  however,  that  nothing  has  been  done  for  them  j 
the  few  that  can  speak  a  little  English,  only  curse  and  swear,  and  thia 
they  catch  up  very  readily  from  the  different  convicts  they  nrjeet  with.  ^ 


;,1fiV. 


women 


*•  There  are  but  few  instances  of  any  native  having  entirely  forsaken  his 
tribe,  however  young  he  may  have  been  taken  away  ;  they  appear  to  dis- 
like anything  in  the  shape  of  labor,  although,  if  they  take  to  cattle, 
they  are,  beyond  anything,  quick  in  tracing  and  finding  those  lost.  So 
acute  is  their  power  of  discrimination,  tlmt  they  have  been  known  to 
trace  the  footsteps  of  bush-rangers  over  mountains  and  rocks  ;  and,  al- 
though the  individual  they  have  been  in  pursuit  of  lias  walked  into  the 
sides  of  the  river  as  if  to  cross  it,  to  elude  the  vigilance  of  his  pursuers, 
and  has  swam  some  distance  down  and  crossed  when  convenient,  yet 
nothing  can  deceive  them.  Indeed,  so  remarkable  is  th  discernment, 
that  if  but  the  slightest  piece  of  moss  on  a  rock  has  been  disturbed  by 
footsteps,  they  will  instantly  detect  it.  The  aborigines  of  this  island 
have  no  appointed  place  or  situation  to  live  in  ;  they  roam  about  at  will, 
followed  by  a  pack  of  dogs,  of  different  sorts  and  sizes,  but  which  are 
used  principally  for  hunting  the  kangaroo,  opossum,  bandicoot,  &c. 

"  They  are  passionately  fond  of  their  dogs ;  so  much  so,  that  the  females 
are  frequently  known  to  suckle  a  favorite  puppy  instead  of  the  child. 
They  rarely  ever  move  at  night,  but  encircle  themselves  round  a  large 
fire,  and  sleep  in  a  sitting  posture,  with  their  heads  between  their  knees. 
So  careless  are  they  of  their  children,  that  it  is  not  uncommon  to  see  boyg 
grown  up  with  feet  exhibiting  the  loss  of  a  toe  or  two,  having,  when  in- 
fants,  been  dropped  into  the  nre  by  the  mother.  The  children  are  gen- 
erally carried  (by  the  women)  astride  across  the  shoulders,  in  a  careless 
manner.  They  live  entirely  by  hunting,  and  do  not  fish  so  much,  or  use 
the  canoe,  as  in  New  South  Wales,  although  the  women  are  tolerably  ex- 
pert  divers ;  the  craw-fish  and  oyster,  if  immediately  on  the  coast,  are 
their  principal  food.  Opossums  and  kagaroos  may  be  said  to  be  their 
chief  support ;  the  latter  is  as  delicious  a  treat  to  an  epicure,  as  the  for- 
mer  is  the  reverse.  The  manner  of  cooking  their  victuals  is  by  throw- 
ing  them  on  the  fire,  merely  to  singe  off  their  hair ;  they  eat  voraciously, 
and  are  very  little  removed  from  the  brute  creation  as  to  choice  of  food  ; 
entrails,  «Scc.  sharing  the  same  chance  as  the  choicest  parts.  They  are 
extremely  expert  in  climbing,  and  can  reach  the  top  of  the  largest  forest- 
trees  without  the  aid  of  branches  ;  they  effect  this  by  means  of  a  small 
sharp  flint,  which  they  clasp  tightly  in  the  ball  of  their  four  fingers,  and 
having  cut  a  notch  out  of  the  bark,  they  easily  ascend,  with  the  large  toe 
of  each  foot  in  one  notch,  and  their  curiously  manufactured  hatchet  in 
the  other.  Their  weapons  of  defence  are  the  epear  and  waddie;  the 
former  is  about  twelve  feet  long,  and  as  thick  f  s  the  little  finger  of  a 
man.  The  tea-tree  supplies  them  with  this  matchless  weapon ;  they  harden 
one  end,  which  is  very  sharply  pointed,  by  burning  and  filing  it  with  a  flint 


m 


80 


WRIGHT'S  NARRATIVE. 


prepared  for  the  purpose.  In  throwing  the  spear  they  are  very  expert ; 
indeed,  of  late,  their  audacious  atrocities  have  been  lamentably  great, 
although,  at  the  same  time,  I  have  little  hesitation  in  saying,  they  liave 
arisen  from  the  cruel  treatment  experienced  by  some  of  their  women 
from  the  liands  of  the  distant  stock-keepers.  Indeed,  these  poor  mor- 
tal!i»,  I  know,  have  been  shot  at  merely  togratify  a  most  barbarous  cruelty. 
******* 

'*  After  killing  a  white  man,  the  natives  have  a  sort  of  dance  and  rejoi- 
cing ;  jumping,  and  singing,  and  sending  forth  the  strangest  noises  ever 
heard.  They  do  not  molest  the  body  when  dead,  nor  have  I  ever  heard 
of  their  stripping  and  robbing  the  deceased. 

"  Among  themselves  they  have  no  funeral  rites  ;  and  those  who  are  aged 
or  diseased  are  left  in  hollow  trees,  or  under  the  ledges  of  rocks,  to  pine 
and  die.  These  people  are  subject  to  a  disease,  which  causes  the  most 
loathsome  ulcerated  sores  ;  two  or  three  whom  I  sa'/were  wretched  look- 
ing objects.  I  remember  a  very  old  man,  who  was  thus  affected,  being 
tried  and  hung,  for  spearing  one  of  Mr.  Hart's  men  ;  the  culprit  was  so 
ill  and  infirm  as  to  be  obliged  to  be  carried  to  the  place  of  execution.  I 
think  the  colonial  surgeons  call  the  disease  the  '  bush  scab  ;'  and  that  it 
is  occasioned  by  a  filthy  mode  of  life.  The  population  of  natives  is  very 
small  in  proportion  to  the  extent  of  the  island  :  several  causes  may  be  al- 
leged for  their  smallness  of  numbers ;  the  principal  one  is  their  having 
been  driven  about  from  place  to  place,  by  settlers  taking  new  locations ; 
another  cause  is  the  great  destruction  of  the  kangaroo,  which  obliges  the 
natives  to  labor  hard  to  procure  food  sufficient  for  their  sustenance  :  this, 
and  their  having  no  means  of  procuring  vegetables,  besides  being  con- 
stantly exposed  to  the  weather,  together  with  their  offensive  habits  of  liv- 
ing, produce  the  disease  above  mentioned,  with  its  fatal  consequences." 

■■^i  But  the  ensanguined  administration  of  Sir  George  Arthur,  has  destroyed 
a  great  part  of  the  native  foresters,  and  reduced  the  number  from  seven- 
teen-hundred,  to  about  sixty,  who  are  cooped  up  on  a  small  island  in 
Bass's  straits,  where  they  are  continually  dwindling  away ; — no  more  per- 
mitted to  roam  over  their  native  mountains,  and  hunt  in  their  lovely  val- 
lies,  or  dig  a  native  bread,  (a  kind  of  ball  found  in  the  earth,  of  the 
consistence  of  rice,  like  our  ground-nut,  only  a  great  deal  larger,)  or 
learn  the  bii-ds  to  lisp  phiases  in  their  native  island.  A  few  years,  and 
not  one  will  rem-.n.  The  Tasmanians  will  rest  amid  the  thousand 
wrecks  of  innocence,  that  England  delights  to  crush  when  it  is  in  her 
power.  But  God  will  surely  remember  their  unavenged  wrongfr'^when 
India,  China,  and  Ireland— all  who  have  experienced  the  pressure  of  her 
vampire  lips — and  the  bloody  murders  of  Windsor,  St.  Eustache,  St. 
Charles,  St.  Denis,  and  the  butcheries  of  Beauharnois,  will  rise  up  as  wit- 
nesses against  her.  She  is  red  with  sin,  and  the  days  of  her  oppressions 
are  numbered.  I  here  insert  the  Inducerasnts  that  the  Bogltsh  govern- 
ment  held  out,  K>r  the  settlement  of  Van  Dieraain's  l«uul :  .     . 


I 


m 


veyi 


WRIGHT'P  NARRATIVE. 


m 


exp»rt ; 
>ly  great, 
hey  Iiav« 
r  women 
K)or  tnor- 
i  cruelty, 
* 

aixl  rejoi- 
ises  ever 
ver  heard 

) are  aged 
s,  to  pine 
I  the  most 
hed  look- 
ted,  being 
it  was  so 
ution.  I 
nd  that  it 
es  is  very 
lay  be  al- 
ir  having 
ocations ; 
)liges  the 
ice :  this, 
sing  oon- 
(its  of  liv- 
juences." 

destroyed 
)m  seven- 
island  in 
more  per- 
►vely  val- 
tb,  of  the 
arger,)  or 
ears,  and 
thousand 
is  In  her 
jsr— when 
re  of  her 
ache,  St. 
ip  as  wit- 
pressions 
I  govezo- 


«•  1.  His  majesty's  Government  do  not  intend  to  incur  any  expense  in  con- 
veying  settlers  to  the  new  colony  on  the  Swan  river ;  and  will  not  feel 
bound  to  defray  the  expense  of  supplying  them  with  provisions  or  other 
necessaries,  after  their  arrival  there,  nor  to  assist  their  removing  to 
England,  or  elsewhere,  should  they  be  desirous  of  quitting  the  colony. 

"  2.  Such  persons  who  may  arrive  in  that  settlement  before  the  end  of 
the  year  1930,  will  receive,  in  the  order  of  their  arrival,  grants  of  land, 
free  of  (juit  rent,  proportioned  to  the  capital  which  they  may  be  prepared 
to  invest  in  the  improvement  of  the  land,  and  of  which  capital  they  may 
be  able  to  produce  satisfactory  proofs  to  the  lieutenant  governor  (or  other 
officer  administering  the  colonial  government,)  or  to  any  two  officers  of 
the  local  government  appointed  by  the  lieutenant  governor  for  that  pur- 
pose, at  the  rate  of  forty  acres  for  every  sum  of  three  pounds  which  they 
may  be  prepared  so  to  invest. 

"  3.  Under  the  head  of  investment  of  capital,  will  be  considered  stock  of 
every  description,  all  implements  of  husbandry,  and  other  articles  which 
may  be  applicable  to  tht*  purposes  of  productive  industry,  or  which  may 
be  necessary  ff  r  the  establishment  of  the  settler  on  the  land  where  he  is 
to  be  located.  The  amount  of  any  half-pay  or  pension  which  the  appli- 
cant  may  receive  from  Government,  will  also  be  considered  as  so  much 
capital. 

'■  4.  Those  who  may  incur  the  expense  of  taking  out  laboring  persons, 
will  be  entitled  to  an  allowance  of  land  at  the  rate  of  fifteen  pounds,  that 
is,  of  tv/o  hundred  acres  of  land,  for  the  passage  of  every  such  lalwring 
person,  over  and  above  any  other  investment  of  capital.  In  the  class  of 
'  laboring  persons,'  are  included  women  and  children  above  ten  years 
old.  Provision  will  be  made  by  law,  at  the  earliest  opportunity,  for  ren- 
dering those  capitalists,  who  may  be  engaged  in  taking  out  laboring  per- 
sons to  this  settlement,  liable  for  the  future  maintenance  of  those  persons, 
should  they,  from  infirmity,  or  any  other  cause,  become  unable  to  main- 
tain themselves  there.  '  ^M-j-iy^r-^i  r.i;,!»-;  ;u'i,.,:uM  ■;x,ii-  v.?  ,!■  -Tisxs! 

"5.  The  license  of  occupation  of  land  will  be  granted  to  the  settler,  on 
satisfactory  proof  being  exhibited  to  the  lieutenant  governor  (or  other 
officer  administering  the  lo  al  government,)  of  the  amount  of  property 
brought  into  the  colony.  The  proofs  required  of  such  property  will  be 
such  satisfactory  vouchers  of  expenses  as  would  be  received  in  auditing 
public  accounts.  But  the  full  title  to  the  land  will  not  be  granted  in  fee 
simple,  I'ntil  the  settler  has  proved,  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  lieutenant 
governor  (or  other  officer  administering  the  local  government,)  that  the 
sum  required  by  Article  2nd,  of  these  regulations,  (viz.  one  shilling  and 
sixpence  per  acre,)  has  been  expended  in  the  cultivation  of  the  land,  or 
in  solid  improvements,  such  as  buildings,  roads,  or  other  works  of  the 
kind. 

"6,  Any  grant  of  land  thus  allotted,  of  which  a  fair  proporticn},  of  at 
least  one  fourth,  shall  not  have  been  brought  into  cultivation,  otherwise 
improved  or  reclaimed  from  its  wild  state,  to  the  extent  afoneshillfaigaiid 


-m 


M 


S3 


WRIGHT'S  NARRATIVE. 


! 


sixpence  per  acre,  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  local  Government,  within  three 
years  from  the  date  of  the  license  of  occupation,  shall,  at  the  end  of  three 
years,  be  liable  to  a  payment  of  sixpence  per  acre,  into  the  public  chest 
of  the  settlement ;  and  at  the  expiration  of  seven  years  more,  should  the 
land  still  remain  in  an  uncultivated  or  unimproved  state,  it  will  revert 
absolutely  to  the  crown." 

With  the  above  inducements,  the  island  has  rapidly  increased  in 
population  and  wealth  ;  the  Government  always  preservijig  the  balance 
between  the  convicts  and  the  free  population.  The  tyranny  of  Arthur 
had  driven  many  of  the  prisoners  to  desert  and  turn  highway  rob- 
bers, making  their  home  amid  the  secret  fastnesses  of  the  mountains. 
Upon  the  island,  they  are  termed  bush-rangers.  For  many  months  the 
people  were  alarmed  by  several  murders  and  robberies  committed  by 
some  of  these  escaped  felons,  and  the  governor  issued  a  proclamation  that 
any  one  that  would  arrest  the  said  bush-rangers,  should  receive  a  free 
pardon  and  a  free  passaire  from  the  colony.  Several  of  the  police  con- 
stables had  been  severely  wounded  bv  them,  and  one  had  been  killed — 
and  no  convict  felt  willing  to  volunteer  in  pursuit  of  the  highwaymen. 
The  governor  now  ordered  all  the  prisoners,  having  tickets  of  leave,  to  go 
in  pursuit.  A  number  amounting  to  over  fifteen  hundred,  were  called  out 
and  divided  into  parties  of  from  five  to  eight  in  each,  headed  by  a  police- 
man. We  were  armed  with  muskets.  Several  who  refused  to  obey  the 
order  were  sent  in  irons  to  Port  Arthur,  a  penal  settlement,  and  were  nev- 
er to  receive  the  indulgence  of  the  Government  again  while  they  remained 
prisoners  of  the  crown.  Our  party  consisted  of  six,  Dresser  and  myself 
being  the  only  Americans  in  it.  After  we  had  roamed  over  mountains, 
and  across  rivers  and  valleys  for  twelve  days,  and  had  nearly  despaired 
of  any  success,  we  heard  of  a  shepherd's  hut,  about  three  miles  distant ; 
and  as  it  had  rained  incessantly  for  the  last  two  days,  we  wished  to  get  to 
it  and  dry  our  clothes,  cook  some  meat,  and  bivouac  for  the  night.  We  all 
had  separated,  so  that  it  m'ght  be  impossible  for  it  to  escape  our  observation ; 
and  when  we  reached  it,  .ve  all  came  from  different  directions.  When 
within  about  twenty  rods  of  the  hut,  we  saw  two  men,  armed  to  the  teeth, 
coming  out  of  the  door,  and  from  the  description,  we  knew  them  to  be  the 
brigands.  When  near  them,  our  constable  cried  "  halt ;"  but  they  seem- 
ed to  have  just  discovered  us,  and  giving  a  wild  look  around  them,  they 
ran  to  the  woods.  We  were  ordered  to  follow  them,  and  to  fire  if  they 
did  not  halt.  They  fojjnd  that  we  gained  ground,  and  each  taking  a  tree, 
took  steady  aim  at  us  from  behind  it ;  but  not  one  of  their  pieces  would 
go  off,  as  they  had  been  out  the  last  two  days  in  steady  rain.  One  was 
armed  with  a  double-barrel  gun  and  four  pistols  ;  the  other  with  a  rifle, 
and  the  same  number  of  small  arms.  Afler  finding  that  resistance  was 
useless,  they  surrendered  in  a  very  gentlemanly  style.  Jefs,  the  younger, 
begged  our  pardon  for  having  been  taken  so  cowardly,  and  not  firing ;  but 
he  was  very  glad  that  what  was  his  loss  was  our  gain.  I  heard  that  he 
was  a  Gipsy  by  birth,    fle  was  what  the  world  wpuld  call  "devilish 


I? 


WRIGHT'S  NARRATIVE. 


M^ 


t 


handsome ;"  dark  eyos,  long  eye-Iaslies ;  and  in  his  dress,  was  as  neat  and 
trim  as  a  French  dandy.  His  iaoe  was  of  a  melancholy  cast,  and  his 
form  tho  porfoction  of  manliness.  He  said  death  was  a  fate  he  preferred 
to  tho  life  of  a  convict.  His  companion,  Conway,  did  not  relish  his  fate 
quite  so  well.  They  had  robbed  a  house  a  few  days  before,  and  ip  the 
tlrunkoii  revel  which  followed,  he  had  received  a  very  severe  wound  in 
his  groin  ;  and  his  cninrado  had  clung  to  him  with  great  fidelity  during 
his  MufforingH.  They  had  been  without  food  for  two  days,  and  had  left 
their  cavern  that  morning  in  search  of  it.  Both  preferred  death  to  the 
tortures  of  a  (eloii's  life.  I  visited  their  cave,  upon  the  side  of  a  moun- 
tain ;  and  if  tlicy  had  had  plenty  of  provisions,  they  would  have  been  secure 
ibr  years  :  tiie  hole  at  the  mouth  was  just  large  enough  to  admit  a  man's 
body,  and  was  concealed  by  bushes  and  moss.  They  were  tried  and  con- 
victed, and  sentenced  to  death.  Jefs  made  a  very  remarkable  defence  j 
and  died,  as  he  had  lived,  a  fearless  dare-devil.  They  were  not  execu- 
ted until  after  we  had  left  tho  island.  From  the  time  of  their  capture, 
we  considered  ourselves  freemen  ;  our  fondest  hopes  were  realized,  and 
in  spirit  I  had  already  visited  friends  and  home.  We  were  detained  upon 
the  island  for  several  weeks,  until  we  had  been  sworn  before  one  of  the 
judges  of  tho  Court  of  Queen's  Bench,  and  our  persons  fully  identified. 
The  principal  director  of  convicts  offered  us  the  JG25  and  a  situation 
under  the  Government,  which  we  declined  ;  but  two  of  the  six  accepted 
the  offer,  and  remained.  We  told  the  director  if  ho  would  give  us  his 
situation,  worth  £8,000,  it  would  be  no  temptation  for  us  to  stay.  He 
then  turned  to  me,  and  asked  "  If  I  would  again  interfere  with  the 
British  Government  in  Canada  ?"  I  told  him  "  not  until  the  Canadians 
were  worthier  of  liberty  than  they  are  at  present."  On  the  22nd  of  June, 
1843,  we  received  our  free  pardon,  the  following  being  a  true  copy : 

"  Van  Dieman's  Land,  (No.  84.) 

'*  By  His  Excellency,  Sir  John  Franklin,  Knight  Commander  of  the 
Royal  Hanoverian  Guelphic  Order,  Knight  of  the  Greek  Order  of  the 
Redeemer,  and  a  Captain  in  Her  Majesty's  Royal  Navy,  Lieutenant  Gov- 
ernor  of  the  Island  of  Van  Dieman's  Land  and  its  dependencies. 

"  Whereas,  Stephen  Smith  Wright,  who  arrived  at  Hobart  Town  by  the 
ship  Buffalo,  in  the  year  1840,  under  a  sentence  of  transportation  for  life, 
passed  upon  him  at  the  Province  of  Upper  Canada,  in  the  year  1838,  hath, 
by  his  good  conduct  and  behavior,  during  his  residence  in  this  island, 
appeared  to  me,  the  said  Lieutenant  Governor,  to  be  a  fit  object  for  the 
extension  to  him  of  an  absolute  remission  of  his  sentence  :  Now,  there- 
fore, in  consideration  of  the  premises,  I,  the  Lieutenant  Governor  afore- 
said, by  virtue  of  the  powers  and  authorities  in  me  in  his  behalf  vested, 
do,  by  this  instrument,  absolutely  remit  all  the  residue  or  remainder  of 
the  time  or  term  of  transportation  yet  to  come  or  unexpired,  of  or  under 
the  said  sentence  so  passed  upon  the  said  Stephen  Smith  Wright,  as  afore, 
said,  and  the  same  ii?  hereby  remitted  accordingly. 


wwoirrs  narrative. 


1 


**  L,  8.    In  tMtimony  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand,  and 
caused  also  the  seal  of  Van  Dieman's  land,  and  its  depend- 
encies, to  be  hereunto  affixed,  at  Hobart  Town,  in  Van  Die> 
Rtgistar  E.  man's  land,  aforesaid ;  this  twenty-second  day  of  June,  in 
roup  88.      jjjg  ygj^y  Qj.  ^yj,  LqjJ^  Qnjj  thousand  eight  hundred  and  forty. 

three. 
'    '  JOHN  FRANKLIN.'* 

'''  "J.  E.  RiETRNO,  Colonial  Secretary,  and  Register." 

It  Is  upon  parchment,  and  the  book  contains  my  "  description,"  as  ta. 

Ken  on  the  deck  of  the  Buffalo,  the  day  before  we  landed. 

'  The  present  state  of  the  American  prisoners  should  excite  the  sympa- 
thy of  every  feeling  man.  But  one  of  my  companions  has  married  on 
the  island  ;  and  if  he  is  ever  pardoned,  will,  doubtless,  make  it  his  home 
for  life.  But  it  grieved  me  to  see  Chauncy  Sheldon,  who  fought  the  Brit- 
ish  at  Lundy's  lane, — aged,  and  white-haired — toiling,  an  exile,  among 
the  convicts ;  far  from  home,  fireside,  and  kindred.  The  most  of  our 
number  have,  at  present,  broken  constitutions,  and  are  pining  for  their 
native  land.  Scions  of  liberty  rarely  flourish  on  the  soil  of  oppression  ;  and 
death  at  once  would  be  far  preferable,  than  to  end  your  days  by  some 
slow  disease;  and  know  that  it  was  sapping  to  the  dregs  the  fountain  of 
your  existence.  Six  have  already  found  peace  and  liberty  in  the  grave; 
and  the  pallid  faces,  and  attenuated  forms  of  several  others,  show  that 
they  are  not  far  from  that  bourne  from  whence  no  traveller  returns.  And 
if  they  are  ever  pardoned,  (and  I  know  no  reason  in  the  world,  to 
suppose  that  England  would  have  mercy  enough  to  do  so  Qod-Iike  an 
act,)  their  friends  must  not  be  surprised  to  find  dim  eyes,  care-worn  brows, 
and  wrinkled  faces,  as  well  as  gray  hair — all  brought  on  by  inhuman  ex- 
posure to  the  weather,  and  two  years  spent  in  toiling  beyond  our  strength. 


■A 


S-v^',;;-Vv>  / 


CHAPTER    VI. 


VtB  Ditnu't  Land— lu  diteovery— Climcte— Inhabhanti— Produetioni— Minenlo|y— Ornitholofy— Zo- 
olofy— BoUd}— Iti  prewnt  oonditioo,  &.c. 

Van  Dieman's  land  is  an  insular  appendage  to  the  southern  part  of  New 
Holland,  but  of  much  smaller  dimensions.  It  lies  between  40"*  42'  and 
43°  43'  South  latitude;  and  144°  31'  and  148°  22'  West  longitude  ;  and  is 
reckoned  by  Freycinet,  to  contain  an  area  of  twenty-seven  thousand  one 
hundred  and  ninety-two  square  miles.  In  general,  it  is  composed  of  al- 
ternate hill  and  dale  ;  and  even  the  high  downs  are  generally  fit  either 
for  cultivation  or  pasturage.  The  chief  lines,  both  of  mountain  and 
river,  run  from  north  to  south,  through  the  eastern  part  of  the  colony. 


WRIOMT'B  NARRATIVB. 


M 


I 


Mount  W«11ln|^on ;  tho  most  elevated  hill  in  the  island,  nearly  overhnngs 
the  southern  settlement  of  Hobart  Town — risinR  to  the  hight  of  8080  feet- 
being  covered  for  nine  months  in  the  year  with  snow,  and  subject  to  vio. 
lent  whirlwindM.      The   northern  peaks   arc  called   Ben  Lomond  and 
Ta^iman,  and  arc  a.hn  oonHiderablp.     Rut  the  chain  of  most  continuous 
r;h'vntion,  is  tliat  nearly  in  the  centre  of  the  island,  called  the  Western 
Mountains,  which  extend  north  and  south,  for  its  whole  length.     They 
possess  R  general  height  of  thirty-ftve  hundred  feet ;  inclose  several  large 
iukes— one  snld  to  be  sixty  miles  in  circumference — and  give  rise  to  tiio 
principal    rivers  in  the  island.      Among   these,  in  the  Tamar,  which, 
uniting  the  waters  of  the  North  and  South  Bake  from  the  eait,  of  the 
Macguarie  and  Lake  rivers  from  the  south,  and  of  the  Western  river 
from  the  west,  forms  at  Launceston  a  navigable  stream,  which  soon  opens 
into  the  broad  estuary  of  Port  Dalrymple.on  the  north  side  of  the  island. 
The  Derwent  flowing  in  an  opposite  direction,  and  swelled  by  the  parallel 
stream  of  the  .Tordan,  spreads  into  a  noble  harbor  on  the  southeast  side 
of  the  island,  on  which  Hobart  Town  is  situated.     Two  rivers  on  the  west- 
ern side  enter  Macguarie  harbor ;  but  their  course  is  yet  unexplored. 
The  harbors  of  Van  Dieman's  land  surpass  those  of  any  country  in  the 
world,  not  excepting  even  the  admirable  ones  of  New  South  Wales. 
This  island  was  first  discovered  by  Tasman,  who  surveyed  its  southern 
and  western  shores,  but  not  the  northern  and  eastern ;  with  which  we  are 
almost  exclusively  acquainted.     It  was  afterward  observed,  in  parts,  by 
Marion,  Fcrnoaux,  Cook,  and  particularly  by  D'Eutricastcau,  who  traced 
the  remarkable  channel  which  bears  his  name.     All  this  time,  however, 
it  was  believed  to  be  a  part  of  the  continRnt ;  nor  was  it  till  Bass,  in  1798, 
passed  through  the  straits,  which  are  called  after  him,  that  its  insular 
character  was  established.     In  1808,  Captain  Bowen  founded  the  first 
convict  establishment,  at  Risdon  cove,  on  the  left  hand  of  the  Derwent  j 
which  was  removed,  in  1804,  by  Colonel  Collins  to  Hobart  Town,  on  the 
right  bank,  in  Sullivan  cove,  about  twelve  miles  up  the  river.     Since  that 
time,  the  colony  has  been  in  a  state  of  rapid  increase  ;  particularly,  du- 
ring  the  last  ten  or  twelve  years,  when  it  became  the  favorite  resort  of 
voluntary  emigration. 

The  climate  of  Van  Dicman's  Land  belongs  decidedly  to  the  temperate 
zone,  and  is  therefore  more  cool  and  congenial  to  a  British  constitution, 
than  that  of  the  original  colony.  It  has  not  the  same  extremes  of  bar- 
renness and  fertility  ;  there  are  some  rich  flats  along  the  rivers,  but  in 
general,  the  lands  are  somewhat  high  and  of  a  medium  aptitude,  both  for 
agriculture  and  pasturage.  A  greater  proportion  of  it  is  quite  clear  of 
wood,  and  admits  of  the  plough  being  applied  without  any  previous  pre- 
paration.  On  the  road  from  Hobart  Town  to  Port  Dalrymple,  there  is  a 
plain  extending  in  one  direction  for  twenty  miles,  and  clear  land  is  frequent 
on  the  north  side  of  the  island.  The  climate  is  not  favorable  to  the  growth 
of  maize,  tobacco,  and  especially  sugar ;  but  wheat,  barley  and  oats,  are 
produced  of  superior  quality.    The  potatoes  are  equal  to  any  in  the 


M  WRIOWT'a  NARRATIVE.  ♦ 

world,  ind  will  keep  through  the  year.  The  cattio  are  rather  good ;  the 
■heep  produce  Ane  wool,  though  not  quite  fijual  to  that  of  Now  South 
Walca ;  but  this  hu,  perhaps,  bocii  from  want  of  oaro,  and  grout  effort)! 
are  making  for  its  improvement.  Thia  land  wantM  the  cedar  and  msu. 
wiAod  of  tho  groat  continent  nf  Now  Holland  ;  hut  tlie  blook«wood,  tho 
hoar  pine,  and  Adventure  Hay  pinn,  aro  valuable  troeii,  fM^culiarto  it. 

The  nativea  of  Van  Dioman'H  Land  arn  gucMsrd  by  llaNscl  at  only 
fifleen  hundred,  and  arc,  if  posNiblr,  !n  a  lower  ntato  than  ovun  tliosn  of 
the  grout  continent.  Thoy  aro  Htrengors  to  flithiiig,  jind  to  tho  uouHtruc- 
tion  of  oven  tho  rudest  canocH  ;  but  convoy  thomNelvcs  in  niiserablt)  ran<« 
over  any  water  they  aro  obliged  to  cro8N.  Tiiey  are  unacquuintuci  with 
the  throwing-Htick  ;  tlioir  speart>  arc  much  Ichs  furmidublc,  and  thoir  dis. 
position  moro  peaceable ;  but,  unfortunately,  thi^y  have  been  indamcd 
with  Ihe  most  deadly  hatred  agaiuHt  the  Knglish.  This  deplorable  cir. 
cumstanco  appears  to  have  been  .solely  owing  to  tho  rasbno8.sof  anoHicor, 
who,  at  an  early  period  of  the  ecttlenient,  fired  upon  a  party  approaching, 
as  there  waw  afterward  reason  to  l)elieve,  with  tho  most  peaceable  in* 
toiitions.  This  incident  appears  to  have  made  a  permanent  impreHHion 
upon  the  minds  of  these  savages ;  for  ever  since  that  time,  thoy  have 
seized  every  opportunity  of  attacking  and  killing  tho  colonists  ;  but  tho 
smallnefis  of  their  numbers  and  lack  of  courage,  has  rendered  their  en- 
mity far  from  terrible. 

The  British  population  is  considered  to  form  the  most  completely  Eng- 
lish colony  that  exists  ;  yet  tho  state  of  society  is,  on  the  whole,  wilder 
that  at  Port  Jackson  ;  in  particular,  the  most  desperate  convicts  have  been 
sent  there,  as  a  place  of  ulterior  punishment.  Numbers  escaped,  and 
formed  a  body  of  bush-rangers,  who  kept  the  colony  in  a  state  of  perpetual 
alarm,  and  have  only  been  very  recently  put  down.  The  Government 
supports  a  male  and  female  orphan  school  ami  seven  public  day  schools. 
The  exports  consist  of  wool,  wheat,  salted  beei",  mutton,  hams  and  tongues, 
with  some  hides,  tallow,  sool-skins,  wlialo-oil,  and  spare.  Several  news- 
papers are  published  at  Hobart  Town  and  Launceston ;  Hobart  Town 
has  one  of  the  finest  harbors  in  the  world,  Tho  mineral  productions  of 
the  island  are  extremely  meagre,  viz.  granite,  mica  slate,  granular  quartz, 
ancient  sandstone,  and  limestone,  resembling  that  of  England.  There 
is  also  an  extensive  coal-mine,  worked  by  the  convicts  near  Port  Arthur, 
which  is  of  a  very  good  quality  Oolite,  syenite  and  serpentine,  are  rarely 
met  with;  yet  when  found,  tliej  make  very  fine  specimens,  from  their 
peculiar  structure.  Fossii->vood  and  coal  formations  are  found,  very 
i)erfectly  preserved,  and  splendid  specimens  of  Conifcne  have  been  for- 
warded  to  England.  Some  of  the  shells  of  Van  Dienian's  Land  are  very 
highly  prized  by  collectors,  especially  the  funnly  of  Volutes,  which  arc 
here  chiefly  found  in  great  perfection. 

his  Van  Dieman's  Laud,  .says  a  great  naturalist,  "  where  itt^summer, 
when  it  is  winter  in  Europe,  and  vice  versa  ;  where  the  barometer  rises 
before  bad  weather  and  falls  before  good— where  the  north  is  the  hot  wind 


♦ 


WRIOHT'i  NARRATIVE. 


n 


ind  the  ji^uth  tlio  cold— whnro  thn  humblflnt  houne  Ik  fitted  up  with  eedar, 
and  tho  fiohlH  nr<>  frnccd  with  mahogany,  and  niyrtlo-treea  are  burned  for 
fuel — wh(*m  tho  swans  aro  black  and  the  faglcH  white — where  the  kan< 
garof),  nn  nninml  between  tho  squirrel  and  tho  doer,  han  tivo  claws  on  its 
foro  pawH,  and  thren  talonn  on  itH  hind  Ings  likn  a  bird,  and  yet  hops  on 
ItM  tail — whore  tho  inuio  (oriiithnrlynehus  paradoxus)  lays  eggs  and  has 
II  dnck'N  hill — wh^rn  the  ii.ih  have  wingM,  and  Hail  through  the  air— 
whrrn  tho  pnnrH  aro  iiiado  nt*  woo^i,  and  with  tho  Ntalkat  the  broader  end, 
und  tho  cherry,  (exnt^arpuH  cjuprosttiforinis)  grows  with  the  stone  on  tho 
Dutsidn."  Tliu  birds  niako  up  for  the  Hcantitiess  of  tho  zoological  speci* 
mnuH  in  thi^  rcgioti,  tliR  kangaroo  being  thn  largoat  of  tho  four.footed  ani- 
main ;  but  these  wonderful  oreatureu,  instead  of  fabricating  warm  and 
nkillful  ncatH  bnnpath  tho  oarlh  for  tho  protection  of  their  young,  in  like 
nianiinr  to  nil  other  niouNo-liko  quadrupeds,  are  provided  with  a  natural 
iioHt  in  tlip  fnldH  of  their  own  Nkin,  where  tho  young  aro  sheltered  and 
protected  until  thry  aro  abls  to  provide  for  themselves. 

The  duck-bill  niolo  has  long  excited  tho  NoepticiNm  and  astonishment 
of  naturalists  ;  who  beheld  in  these  creatures  tlio  perfect  bill  of  a  duck, 
iii^raAod  as  it  were  on  the  body  of  a  mole-like  quadruped.      It  was  first 
made  knftwn  to  tho  world  by  Dr.  Shaw,  who  clearly  demonstrated  it 
waH  no  fictitioiiH  di^ception.     Tho  whole  animal  has  some  resemblance  in 
miiiltitiii'c  to  an  utter  ;  but  is  only  thirteen  inches  long.      It  swims  well, 
and  indeed  ooldoni  (}uitM  tho  water,  since  the  extreme  shortness  of  its  legs 
renders  it  otdy  ubie  to  crawl  on  land.      Thoso  animals,  of  which  there 
appear  to  be  two  species,  (distinguished  only  by  their  color,)  are  princi- 
|)ally  found  near  I'orl  .lackson.     The  foot  of  the  mole  is  armed  with  a 
spur,  through  which  passes  a  poisonous  lii^uor,  rendering  the  animal  dan- 
gerous.    It  has  lately  been  clearly  proved  that  these  duck-moles  not  only 
lay  eggs,  but  suckle  their  young.     These  two  strange  species  of  ani- 
mals, und  several  tribes  of  opossums,  and  two  kinds  of  phalangers,  make 
up  the  zoology  of  this  remarkabl'.-  rf  .-rion.     The  seal  is  found  very  com- 
mon upon  tho  shores,  and  tho  rivers  abound  with  fish  of  the  most  delicate 
flavor.     The  fust,  the  rarest,  and  by  far  tho  most   magnificent  bird  of 
Van  Dieman's  Land,  is  the  black  cockatoo;  it  is  found  only  in  the  most 
retired  parts  of  tho  island  ;  and  from  its  head  falls  a  glorious  spray  of 
lenion-coloriid  plumes,  well  relieved  by  a  body  of  glossy,  velvet  feathers, 
of  an  ebon  blackness.     They  arc  seldom  if  ever  tamed,  and  are  consid- 
ered a  great  rarity,  even  upon  the  island.     The  white  cockatoo  is  very 
common,  and  it  speaks,  when  well  trained,  with  much  more  distinctness 
of  enunciation  than  the  best  parrot.     The  color  is  generally  a  creamy 
white,  and  the  straw-colored  plumage  adorns  the  head  with  great  beauty. 
I  brought  one  of  tho  last  mentioned  birds,  as  a  kind  of  token  of  my  slave- 
ry, within  seven  days'  sail  of  London,   when  it  died ;  he  could  speak 
many  words  with  great  accuracy  of  tone,  especially  "  sweet  home,"  and 
other  short  sentences ;  and  I  much  regretted  his  death.    There  is  another 
kind  of  cockatoo,  similar  to  tho  first  one  described,  with  one  or  two  band« 


8i  WRTf^HPS  NARRATIVE. 

of  the  richest  soari'>t  upon  the  tack  and  tail :  but  it  is  not  as  rare  as  the 
black  species.    Parrots  of  every  variety  geir  the  luxurious  foliage  of  the 
forests,  and  from  among  them,  tor  beauty,  I  would  choose  the  Rose-hill 
parrot :  blue,  crimson  and  orange  make  up  the  plumage  of  this  nonpa- 
reil bird.    Paroquets  are  about  as  beautiful,  but  of  a  much  smaller  size. 
Of  the  last  mentioned  birds,  I  pob.  ^ed  four  when  I  parted  from  the  isl- 
and, but  all  died  beneath  the  tropics.     The  pigeons  and  doves  are  cer- 
tainly the  most  beautiful  in  the  wurlu  :  the  general  tmt  of  their  plumage 
being  si  rich  green,  variegaied  with  red,  purple  and  yellow,  about  the  head 
and  breast ;  but  ethers  occur  of  a  brown  color,  relieved  by  spots  on  the 
wings,  of  the  most  changeable  colors,  equal  in  brilliancy  to  the  finest 
'gems.     There  is  a  small  bird,  with  a  tongue  like  a  brush,  called  ine  emu, 
scarcely  larger  than  a  wren,  with  a  long  tail,  perfectly  transparent, 
consisting  of  one  bifurcated  feather — similar  to  its  namesake  of  New 
Holland.     The  spotted  grosbeak  is  a  most  elegant  bird,  not  larger  than  a 
bulfinch,   and  is  easily  don:...Jiicaied.     It  is  of  a  light  slate-color  above, 
with  a  bill  and  rump  of  a  doep  crimson ;  the  throat  has  a  black  collar, 
and  the  sides  have  snow-white  spotb.     The  wedge-tailed  eagle  is  often 
seen  soaring  above  the  mountains,  and  the  milk-white  and  jot-black  swans 
make  h,  home  upon  the  lake'   and  rivers.     All  oceanic  birr*    are  par- 
ticularly numerous.     The  island  abounds  in  shrubs  of  great  beauty,  and 
a  countless  variety  of  flowers.      Dame-  Nature  dropped  some  of  her 
choicest  seeds  in  this  land  of  exile.     A'he  most  numerous  of  the  forest 
ti'eei.  are  of  the  genus  Eucalyplus,  commonly  called  black,  white,  red, 
and  yellow  gums;  there  arc  about  fifty  different  kinds  upon  the  island. 
The  mc-Jt  remarkable  ;s  the  yellow  gum  tree,  which  attains  the  size  of  our 
tallest  beeches,  growing  straight  for  about  fifteen  or  twenty  feet,  after  which 
it  branches,  out  into  long  spiral  leaves,  which  hang  down  on  all  sides,  and  re- 
semble those  of  the  largest  kind  of  grass.     From  the  centre  of  these  leaves 
springs  a  single  foot  stock,  eighteen  or  twenty  feet  high,  terminating  in  a 
spike,  not  unlike  an  ear  of  wheat :  but  the  valuable  part  of  this  plant  is  its 
resin,  the  properties  of  which  vie  with  the  most  fragrant  balsams.     This 
gum  exudes  spontaneously  from  the  bark  ;  yet  still  more  so  from  incisions. 
This  t'-'je  is  not  as  common  as  the  red  gum,  which,  near  Port  Jackson, 
attains  the  height  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  with  a  girth  at  the  base  of 
from  twenty-five  to  fifty  feet.     Ti»e  bark  of  these  trees  scales  off,  and 
their  leaves,  being  evergreen,  fall  so  invisibly  that  laey  seem,  to  a  casual 
observer,  rather  to  shed  their  bark  instead  of  their  leaves.     There  is  also 
the  bahken,  the  peppermint,  the  oak,  ma'e  and  female,  the  black- wood, 
bog-wood,  and  the  cher/y.     Of  the  thousands  of  gloriors  plants,  I  shall 
speak  of  but  one,  (Doryanthes  excelsa)  or  the  lily  of  Van  Dieman's 
Land.    It  is,  without  doubt,  the  most  stately  of  the  nobles  of  the  floral 
Jtingdom.     It  attains  the   height  of  ten   feet,  bearing  at  its  summit  a 
crown  of  blossoms  of  tl'O  nchest  crimson,  each  three  inches  in  diameter. 
The  leaves  are  very  long,  of  a  dusky  grepn,  harsh  to  the  feeling  and  of 
a  sword's  sharpness,  and  many  of  them  four  feet  in  length.    I  have  seen 


M 


t 


WRIGHT'S  NARRATIVE. 


89 


a  dozdn  oriolds,  of  every  tint  of  the  rainoow,  fluttering  about  this  fine 
lily  of  a  morning  ;  and  the  woods  echoed  with  the  harsh  voices  of  tn«; 
parrot,  and  the  glancing  wings  of  the  pigeons,  while  the  sweet  melody 
of  the  superb  warbler  and  uie  jacose,  made  up  a  scene  of  fairy-like  singu- 
larity, which  no  country  but  Australia  and  her  islands  can  produce. 

I'here  are  two  &}:ecimens  of  natural  history,  that  I  have  r>eglected  to 
describe,  and  which  I  now  w:U  try  to  give  my  readers  a  faint  idea  of. 
The  first,  is  the  dog- faced  opossum  ;  it  suggests  the  union  of  the  dog  and 
the  tiger.  The  fur  u  soft,  short,  and  of  a  yellowish  brown  ;  the  sides  of 
the  body  i)eing  marked  by  broad  transverse  stripes  oi  black,  which  do 
not,  however,  extend  to  the  belly ;  the  tail  is  comprassed,  and  it  is  a  fine 
swimmer,  .nhabiting  the  rocks  upon  the  sea-shore,  and  feeding  upon  fish. 
The  second  is  the  coal-black  swan,  with  its  graceful  neck  and  wings, 
gleaming  like  polished  ebony  ;  it  has  a  very  peculiar  eye,  and  when  the 
sun  strikes  it,  obliquely,  it  radiates  and  glows  like  fresh  oMt  diamond. 
They  pair  two  and  two.  I  have  often  met  with  a  solitary  one,  who,  hav. 
ing  lost  its  mate,  lives  his  century  in  solitude,  (they  are  said  to  live  one 
hundred  years,)  displaying  a  constancy  that  humans  would  do  well  to  im- 
itate. It  was  a  great  favorite  with  the  Tasmanian  natives,  who  prized 
very  highly  its  jetty  down  ;  as  they  made  rugs  of  its  skin,  for  their  new 
born  children.  The  white  swans  are  not  so  numerous  ;  yet  no  fellovv- 
ship  is  sought  between  the  two ;  showing  plainly  that  they  &T'i  no  amalga* 
mationists,  as  they  shun,  though  solitary,  each  other's  society.  There  are 
ground  parrots,  with  long  spiked  tails,  and  a  spotted  plumage,  which  are 
never  known  to  perch  upon  a  tree  ;  their  feathers  are  of  every  shadow 
of  loveliness.  The  ground  rorrakat,  blue-breasted,  is  of  remarkable 
beauty;  th.'se  last  birds  are  generally  found  in  flocks.  There  are  sev- 
eral kinds  oi"  reptiles  ;  among  them  the  diamond  serpent,  of  three  feet  in 
length,  covered  with  a  coat  of  a  mail,  in  fine  stales,  which  sparkle  with 
great  brilliancy  ;  its  bite  is  fatal :  also  the  adder,  with  black  and  striped 
snakes  ;  several  kinds  of  lizards,  and  scorpions,  and  insects  of  almost  every 
variety  have  a  home  in  Van  Dieman's  land.  It  was  formerly  inhabited  by 
a  race,  known  as  Tasmanians ;  but  that  vampire  of  the  deep,  England, 
has  sent  them  (after  dwindling  their  number  from  seventeen  hundred  to 
sixty,)  to  perish  upon  a  s.nall  barren  island,  called  Bruno,  in  Bass's 
Straits :  in  a  few  years  they  will  be  extinct. 

The  freo  population  of  the  whole  island,  at  present,  ia  about  sixty  thou- 
sand, of  whom  near  twenty-five  thousand  were  transported  convicts ; 
Ijut  now  are  free  from  servitude  or  indulgence.  The  amount  of  convicts, 
both  male  and  female,  who  are  still  prisoners,  no  better  than  slaves,  is 
about  twenty-f^ve  thousand.  The  proportion  of  female  convicts  is  aboi»% 
or  over  one  third  ;  and  of  the  free,  about  one  half.  Thus  we  have  a  pop- 
ulation for  Van  Dieman's  land  of  free  males,  thirty-three  tnousand  five 
hundred  ;  of  male  prisoners,  about  fifteen  thousand  six  hundred  ;  of  fe- 
male  convicts,  seven  thousand  five  hundred  ;  making,  in  the  aggregate, 
seventy-three  thousand  inhabitants,  or  human  beings ',  twenty-two  thou- 


WRIGHT'S  NARRATIVE. 


sand  being  mexe  dwellers.  We  also  see  that  forty>three  thousand  have 
been  transported  thither,  being  convicted  of  crimes  of  every  shade.  Dr. 
Ross  (the  publisher  of  an  almanac  and  government  paper,  in  Hobart 
Town,  for  a  few  years)  says,  they  are  criminals  selected  from  the  worst 
offenders  at  home ;  not  only  the  worst  characters  that  England  could 
produce  in  a  year,  but  they  are,  actually,  the  worst  that  can  be  taken 
in  an  accumulation  of  several  years.  And  add  to  this  statement,  that 
Van  Dieman's  land  is  yet  a  receptacle  for  all  the  New  South  Wales 
offenders,  doubly  convicts ;— a  set  of  characters,  it  must  be  presunicd,  not 
very  like'y  to  shake  off  old  habits  of  gross  immorality,  intemperance, 
brutality  and  crime.  Imagine,  for  a  moment,  the  extent  of  this  mass  of 
crime  and  infamy,  and  then  say  what  you  think  of  the  state  of  society  it 
must  engender.  The  disproportion  of  females  to  the  males,  induces  the 
Government  to  empty  the  brothels  of  London,  Dublin,  Liverpool  and 
Edinburgh ;  giving  all  a  free  passage  between  the  ages  of  sixteen  and 
thirty  ;  and  Mr.  Benjamin  Wait,  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  some  of  the 
above  facts,  says :  "  I  have  been  acquainted  with  a  number  of  these 
bounty  emigrant  women ;  and  I  fain  would  close  my  eyes  against  the 
truth,  and  restrain  my  pen  from  writing  it,  but  am  constrained  to  say, 
what  I  have  repeatedly  heard  from  the  best  individuals  here,  '  that  female 
virtue  is  rarely  known  in  Van  Dieman's  land.' "  The  very  amuse- 
ments of  the  people,  show  the  brutishness  of  their  taste  ;  the  "  rini^j  ''  o. 
pugilistic  combats  being  preferred  to  all  others.  I  have  seen  huiKi  ea  ; 
of  women  at  the  prize  fights,  enjoying  the  excitement  with  as  much  gusto 
as  the  women  of  my  native  land  a  tea-party  gossiping.  The  beastly 
drunkenness,  and  the  low  state  of  morals,  (there  are,  in  fact,  no  morals 
at  all,)  give  birth  to  vice  ;  and  when  the  poor  dying  gladiator  falls,  with 
bruised  body  and  lanced  eyes,  covered  with  blood  and  dust,  female  voi- 
ces raise  the  ci  y  of  victory.    Shakespere  hath  too  truly  said,  "  frailty,  thy 


name  is  woman. 


.■i.v';w:  'm;;-; 


CHAPTER  VII. 


;i,-^;',;  H'-'--  y.-.x 


Embark  for  Eardpa— 'View  of  the  iiland  from  the  sea— Farewell  to  Var.  Dieman's  Land— The  whale,  and 
other  denizeni  of  the  deep — Arrival  at  London — Misery  of  the  lower  classes,  ond  luxury  of  the  rich- 
Victoria  Cobourg — Embark  for  New- York — Return  1-    ne. 

On  the  22nd  day  of  .July,  1843,  we  embarked  in  the  Areta,  a  brig  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  tons,  loaded  with  wool  and  oil,  with  twenty  souls  on 
board.  Language  is  impotent  to  describe  the  rapturous  joy  of  our  hearts, 
as  the  dark  isle  of  felons  glimmered  away  in  the  distance ;  yet  there 
was  sadness  in  thinking  of  their  tear-wet  eyes,  bronzed  checks,  and  the 
warm  pressure  of  their  hard  hands,  and  the  choked  "  God  bless  you,"  that 
burst  from  full  hearts,  when  we  bid  them  good -bye— our  faithful  dear  exile 
comrades ;  and  to  think  they  must  wait  for  the  mercy  of  that  Govern- 
ment, which  hath  never  tried  to  spell  that  blessed  word.     Ask  St  Helena 


WRIGHT'S  NARRATIVE. 


41 


'■'  .-If 


and  she  will  point  you  to  the  vacant  grave  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte— an 
empty  monument  of  British  mercy.  Ask  the  damp  dungeons  of  Mary 
Queen  of  Sc  jtts,  and  tho  black  scaffold  will  reply  "  this  is  British  mercy." 
Af-lf  the  yet  green  grave  of  Emmet,  and  tho  dewy  grass,  wet  with  a  nation's 
firr.s  will  whisper,  *' this  is  British  mercy  ! " 

No  scene  in  the  world  ever  looked  so  bright  to  me  as  Van  Dieman's 
Land  from  the  sea.  A  silver  veil  hung  mid-way  upon  Mount  Wellington, 
and  I  gazed  upon  the  rock-bound  coast,  and  tears  filled  my  eyes  to  think  that 
hut  a  broken  band  were  returning  to  their  homo  beyond  the  sea.  Evening 
oamo  on,  and  1  bid  farewell  to  Van  Dieman's  Land  for  ever.  Our  passage 
was  very  stormy ;  for  weeks  the  wind  blew  a  perfect  hurricane,  while 
doubling  Cape  Ilorn.  I  here  saw  the  sperm  whale,  a  noble  animal  whose 
affection  makes  tlie  female  revenge  herself  upon  that  boat  which  is  unfor- 
tunate  in  captciring  her  young.  They  are  of  a  brown  color,  and  enjoyed 
tiieniselves  in  sporting  in  freedom  amid  their  ocean  waves.  We  passed 
two  barren  rocks  that  may  s<i've  England  to  incarcerate  prisoners  of  state 
upon,  when  all  her  other  places  of  punishment  are  filled.  I  would 
tliat  tho  base  murderers  of  the  broken-hearted  Lady  Flora  Hastings  had 
a  retreat  upon  one  of  them,  and  Victoria  Cobourg  may  yet  be  glad  to  get 
as  good  a  place  as  Van  Dieman's  Land,  to  save  her  own  head  from  the 
scaffold. 

The  dol})hin  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  creatures  of  the  sea ;  when 
dying,  it  sends  forth  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow,  every  death-pang  giving 
a  brighter  hue — resembling  in  metaphor,  a  good  man's  death-bed,  his 
last  day  being  the  most  glorious.  We  found,  also,  the  flying  fish,  that 
strange  mixture  offish  and  bird,  connecting  the  air  and  water  tribes  by  a 
visible  link.  They  sail  gently  over  the  ivaves,  leaving  the  water  when 
chased  by  the  dolphin,  and  returning  to  it  when  out  of  reach.  We  caught 
two  that  were  preserved,  and  they  retained  their  color  and  form  admira* 
bly.  Tlio  most  ravenous  of  all  the  sea  tribes,  is  the  shark — ^the  king  of 
the  sea.  Wo  caught  an  enormous  one  with  a  bait  of  pork  ;  its  teeth  re- 
sembled a  saw  newly  filed.  The  legend  of  their  scenting  the  sick  on  board 
vessels  and  following  thein  lor  days,  has  long  since  exploded  before  the 
light  of  knowledge.  When  beneath  the  equator,  we  began  to  admire 
tiiosc  aerial  landscapes,  (see  Note  12th,)  vai'ying  and  changing  in  forms 
of  fleeting  beauty.  The  poet  has  well  described  them  in  the  following 
ines : 


'  There  pef  r.s  tlie  forest's  dark  strata  of  cloud,       \-  i   i  » 
Fano,  arbor  nnj  altnr — sepulchre  and  shroud  ; 
Tho  army  in  bntl.lo,  the  fleet  on  tho  wave,  "'  ' 

The  roek  and  its  |;rotto,  the  hermit  and  cave,  .! 

The  iloiiie  i.f  the  <'ity,  its  pahicc  and  spire, 
The  snoweovercd  peak  witli  its  bosom  on  fire. 
As  the  scenery  of  drama  they  come  and  retire. 
Now  the  rock  and  tlic  grot  arc  the  low  urn  surrounding, 
Tiie  army  and  fleet  on  the  forest  to]i  bounding ; 
The  iMilace  and  dome  grace  the  peak  of  the  mountain, 
lu  bos«ra  ef  flam*  i<  tbg  gush  tf  th«  fountnin. 


*'?»*!*■-•      -/-Ufit^ 


'ms 


1^1 

lb 


WRIGHT'S  NARRATIVE.     • 

J*-  ■..■'..•,, 

Thiit  th*  rh«of  of  clouds  o'er  nn  oeean  orblue, 
Tr«mbUngly  vanish  and  boldly  renew, 
^ '  •  .  Like  the  wearied  in  war  on  the  flight  of  dofeat : 

Like  the  charge  of  the  brave  on  the  coward'a  retreat." 

In  the  monotony  of  a  long  sea  voyage,  we  learn  to  turn  our  thoughts 
to  the  skies,  and  the  ^ight  of  a  bird  is  an  event  of  interest,  and  the  passing 
of  a  ship  gives  the  hea.t  a  peculiar  kind  of  joy,  to  know  that  others  have 
trusted  their  fate  upon  the  waters  as  well  as  yourself;  and  the  sight  of 
spar,  plank,  or  cask,  floatin<;  upon  the  billows,  awake  the  reflection  of  those 
who  have  lefl  the  land  to  return  no  more. 

After  being  at  sea  four  months  and  twenty-six  days,  the  white  clifl*8  of 
Dover  shone  brightly  above  the  waters,  and  the  land  of  the  despot  greeted 
my  eyes  ;  and  in  three  days  I  trod  the  streets  of  London,  where  we  land- 
ed on  the  ———.  As  I  paced  the  streets,  poverty  of  every  description,  and 
misery  of  eyery  shade,  met  my  eyes.  There  might  be  seen  mothers  im- 
ploring a  penny  to  buy  bread  for  starving  children ;  able-bodied  men,  gaunt 
with  hunger,  scraping  the  sewers  for  food,  and  devouringit  like  dogs ;  chil- 
dren, naked  as  at  the  hour  of  their  birth,  raising  their  little  hands  for  the  mis- 
erable tribul;  c*"  this  world's  charity ; — I  wondered  not  at  the  crimes  which 
unjust  laws  1  j  i  en  them  to  commit,  or  that  the  merciless  Government, 
not  to  be  troublec:  .  their  agonized  groans  and  dying  curses,  transfer  them 
to  a  place  where  royal  and  loyal  ears  would  never  hear — much  less  grant 
the  prayers  of  the  starving  paupers  and  dying  infants ;  and  for  the  most  triv- 
ial offence,  Botany  Bay  is  the  husher  of  their  sighs  and  soother  of  their  woes. 
There  wanders  the  friendless  outcast,  once  the  tenant  of  yonder  princely 
hall ;  but  the  lust  of  her  lordly  seducer  satisfied,  she  is  left  housel^s  in  the 
streets  of  London.  In  vain  may  she  implore  aid,  mercy,  protection  ; — in 
vain  does  the  miserable  babe  cling  to  her  breast ;  its  little  hands  will 
soon  relax  their  grasp,  for  the  death  stare  is  upon  its  mild  blue  eyes. 
Crazed,  forlorn,  distressed — God  only  knows  what  will  be  her  fate. 

In  yonder  carriage  rides  the  Duchess  ofS****d;  a  thousand  pounds 
glitters  in  her  turnout — ^horses,  carriage,  housings,  and  attendants.  Her 
husband  sits  by  her  side — the  poor  hen-pecked  creature,  with  the  tyrant's 
eye,  and  the  despot's  heart  beating  under  that  mean  exterior.  What, 
think  you,  was  the  price  of  those  diamond  bracelets  which  dazzle,  as  sun- 
light, upon  her  snowy  arms  ?  Let  the  lives  and  bodies  of  poor  women, 
harnessed  to  the  drays  in  the  loathsome  coal  mines,  whose  eyes  have  not 
seen  God's  daylight  for  months,  and  whose  lips  have  .lot  tasted  a  morsel 
of  wholesome  bread  for  years  upon  her  estate — answer.  What,  think  you, 
the  price  of  her  velvet  and  ermine  cloak,  and  of  her  cap,  adorned  with 
pearls,  and  the  gems  that  glitter  upon  her  aristocratic  hand ;  or  oi"  the 
necklace  of  rubies,  flashing  upon  her  bosom  of  beauty  ?  Let  the  de- 
formed children,  and  the  famished  mothers,  who  have  toiled  in  his  grace's 
factories,  answer.  How  dear  is  bread — but  flesh  and  blood !  oh !  God  ! 
how  cheap !  I  saw  Victoria  Cobourg,  surrounded  by  her  lords  and 
ladies,  whose  dresses  were  of  every  texture  in  the  world,  glittering 
with  jewels  and  gleaming  in  gold  j  and  I  thought  of  the  starving  mass* 


■'•'-% 


m-' 


m 


WRIGHT'S  NAPIcATIVE. 


ses,  whose  money  and  life  had  been  crushed  out  of  them  to  support  this 
extravagance  ;  and  my  heart  was  sick  of  that  bitter  satire  to  every  Aon. 
est  Briton — "  Hurrah  for  liappy  England !"  If  what  I  saw  was  happiness, 
what  is  misery  ?  Who  has  the  moral  courage  to  see  the  smoking  bread 
of  a  well  filled  bakery,  and  yet  starve  to  death  ?  yet  iiany  have  so  died 
in  London  ;  thousands,  and  yet  the  half  is  not  told.  And  if  one  morsel 
of  that  bread  is  taken,  when  no  work  can  be  had,  the  doom  is  transpor* 
tatioti  for  life  ;  while  Prince  Albert,  that  pauper  upon  England's  bounty, 
riots  upon  thirty  thousand  pounds  per  annum.  Many  could  have  been  em< 
ployed  to  do  the  state  the  same  service  he  docs,  at  a  much  cheaper  rate. 
I  saw  him  with  the  field  nmrtials'  star  upon  his  breast,  and  covered  with 
gaudy  finery.  It  added  nothing  to  its  beauty  to  know,  that  it  had  been 
washed  in  the  tears  and  blood  of  the  poverty-stricken  ones  of  England. 


"  God,  who  hath  heard  the  widow's  cry, 
God,  who  httth  leeii  the  orphan's  moan, 
None  'round  thee  of  famine  die. 

Although  thou  sittest  uu  a  throne. 
Tilings  like  these,  of  regal  birth, 

Who  boast  their  princely  right  divine, 
Are  but  thy  parodies  on  earth  ; 

Thelr's  is  oppression — mercy  thine." 


.1  '•.  ■.    I 


;■  7   '■'-•■:■   l!.lVr 


Wherever  I  went,  degradation,  vice  and  misery,  were  ever  before  me ; 
and  a  starving  nation's  bitter  tea:'s  bedewed  my  path.     And  what  is  the 
liberty  of  England  ?     What  has  been  her  nobleness,  and  magnanimity  ? 
Has  she  any  ?     Did  she  not  quarter  Wallace — murder  Mary,  Queen  of 
Scotts — execute  Raleigh — shoot  Byng — and  strangle  Carraccioli  ?  Did  she 
not  give  Napoleon  the  vulture  and  the  rock  ?     Did  she  not  shield  the  de- 
famers  of  the  house  of  Hastings — fetter  India — devour  Spain — persecute 
in  Affghanistan — and  butcher  in  China — and  cheat  Ireland  of  her  parlia- 
ment— and  shed  enough  blood  in  Canada  to  make  a  fountain  play  for 
weeks,  to  amuse  her  majesty  and  her  cabinet  ?     Has  she  not  supported 
the  odious  Bourbons  upon  the  the  throne  of  a  Bonaparte,,  and  helped  the 
Austrian  despot  to  establish  the  vilest  tyranny  in  the  Roman  states  ?    Tell 
me  a  coimtry  under  God's  heaven  where  she  has  the  power,  that  she  does  not 
secure  the  lion's  half  to  herself?     Has  she  not  shackled  the  press,  pro- 
scribed authors,  and  incarcerated  printers  in  prison  dens  ;  and  carried  on 
the  adieus  tithe  system  over  the  height  and  breadth  of  her  land,  for  the 
support  of  a  religion,  begot  in  licentiousness,  and  born  in  butchery  ? — whose 
first  union  with  the  state  was  baptized  in  the  tears  of  the  populace ;  and 
whose  first  founder  drank  the  blood  of  innocent  women  and  noble  men, 
as  if  it  had  been  water;  and  whose  priests  are  yet  hypocrites  in  church 
and  Satans  at  home.     Sure  this  is  the  shame  of  England  without  one  ray 
of  her  glory.     Sure  this  is  the  meanness  of  England,  without  one  shadow 
of  her  magnanimity.     The  day  of  Great  Britain's  retribution  will  come, 
amid  the  awful  thunderings  of  God,  whose  images  have  been  destroyed 
and  defaced   by  her  most  unrighteous  laws  ?  when  the  Herodess  who 
now  sits  upon  a  throne  of  gold,  clothed  in  purple  and  fine  linen,  shall  be 
cast  down,  and  with  her  blood  alone  can  atonement  be  made  for  the  thou- 


r 


I.  i, 


i 


m 


WRIGHT'S  NARRATIVE. 


sand  star  ng  mothers,  and  withered  children  who  have  perished  in  their 
shrivelled  arms.  The  First  Charles's  fate  is  not  yet  forgotten  by  the  dem- 
ocratic hearts  of  England  ;  and  the  spirit  of  Cromwell  now  burns-  in  a 
thousand  crushed  and  bruised  hearts — and  the  scaflbld  of  Louis  the  Six- 
teenth  beacons  forth  the  fact,  that  the  people  may,  if  they  will,  be  free. 
The  materials  are  now  gathering,  whose  combustion  will  shiver  the 
bloody  throne  of  despotism  to  atoms  ;  and  the  title  of  "  king"  is  yet  to  be 
unknown  upon  the  face  of  the  earth.  Her  cup  is  not  yet  filled:  the  fam- 
ished stealers  of  bread — the  oppressed  of  the  loathsome  mines  and  horrid 
factories — the  outcast  mothers  and  the  starveling  children,  have  yet  to  be 
avenged  ;  for  "  vengeance  is  mine,"  saith  the  Lord,  "  and  1  will  repay  it." 
*  *  «  >)i  #  #  Id 

The  American  minister,  Mr.  Everett,  was  very  kind,  and  procured  us 
a  passage  to  New- York.  My  companion,  Mr.  Dresser,  was  ill  during  a 
greater  part  of  the  voyage,  and  was  confined  to  his  room  while  here. 
The  streets  were  ligiited  at  mid-day  with  gas,  and  the  fog  was  very  dense, 
so  that  r  never  saw  the  sun  but  once  while  I  was  in  London,  something 
over  two  weeks..  We  now  embarked  on  board  the  Quebec,  and  after  be- 
ing at  sea  six  weeks,  we  came  in  sight  of  my  native  land.  That  night  I 
slept  but  little  j  my  joy  was  beyond  the  power  of  words — I  felt  with  the 
poet:    ■■  .         "         '  'T      ■■     '.-;■•' ^^''  :'-'■-.!     ■■/;■•■.    V  "■.'-'  ■'':%;r--^  <\  j  ^-.v 

*•■"'"  "'  ■  ■  "  .speed,  si)eed,  my  dear  vessel,  the  shore  is  in  sight —        '■'    ■  •      •'«,-■•     '. 

-,;',■':  ■    •■;•..  The  tea-breeze  is  fttir,  we  ihall  anchor  to-ni){ht.  ^.  <     -■' ^    '"i;}', 

..  .   *.  . ; ,        .;.     v..  To-morrow  at  sunrise,  once  more  shall  I  stand  ., 

On  the  sen -beaten  shore  of  my  own  native  land." 

I  would  here  thank  the  generous-hearted  William  Lyon  Mackenzie, 
whose  gentlemanly  sympathy  and  hospitality  was  extended  to  us  while  in 
the  city  ;  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  days  the  prodigal  son  had  returned 
to  the  house  of  his  father.  Through  all  my  wanderings,  a  kind  of  guid- 
ing power,  as  if  to  answer  the  prayers  of  my  aged  father,  preserved  me 
from  danger  and  despair,  and  at  last  guided  me  back  to  his  arms.  The 
joy  of  being  with  my  brothers  and  sisters,  kindred  and  friends ;  and  the 
crowded  assemblies  who  hailed  me  home,  made  me  feel  more  as  if  I  was 
in  a  pleasant  dream  than  a  stern  reality.  I  bless  God,  who  hath  snatch- 
ed me  from  the  hands  of  the  oppressor ;  and  my  dear  father,  in  the' full- 
ness of  bis  heart,  truly  exclaimed  :  "  This  my  son  was  dead,  and  is  alive 
again — he  was  lost  and  is  found  !" 

I  here  insert  the  letter  which  the  editors  of  the  New-York  Tribune 
kindly  published,  that  any  who  may  read  this  work,  can  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  inquiring  by  mail  after  their  exiled  friends: 

"New- York,  February  17th,  1844. 
"  To  the  Editors  of  The  Trihme  : 

"The  undersigned  were  engaged  with  Col.  Von  Schoultz  in  the  affair  of 
the  Windmill,  near  Prescott,  in  November,  1838.  They  were  tried  by  a 
militia  court-martial  at  Kingston,  Canada,  and  .sentenced  to  death,  but  sont 


WRIGHT'S  NARRATIVE. 


45 


to  Van  Diemati'a  land  as  convicts  ;  where,  after  a  residence  of  nearly  four 
years,  ihey  wero  forgiven  and  allowed  to  return  to  their  native  country 
by  Sir  John  Franklin,  the  British  governor. 

"  On  our  voyage  out,  we  doubled  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  ;  on  our  voy- 
ago  homo,  we  doubled  Cape  Horn — performing,  in  all,  a  journey  of  upward 
of  thirty  thousand  miles,  and  sailing  once,  at  least,  round  the  world. 

"  As  there  are  fifty-four  of  our  comrades  who  were  under  Von  Schoultz, 
still  in  captivity,  w^  think  it  a  duty  to  them  and  their  relatives,  to  offer 
the  public  an  account  of  their  present  circumstances,  so  far  as  the  samo 
arc  known  to  us. 

"  To  do  this  in  the  most  satisfactory  manner,  we  here  name  them  seve- 
rally. They  are  all  in  tolerable  health,  except  Thomas  Stockton,  who 
is  in  a  consumption.  Severe  treatment  and  other  causes,  which  it  would 
only  excite  unkind  feelings  for  us  to  dwell  upon,  have  made  great  inroads 
upon  many  constitutions,  once  very  strong  ;  and  should  it  be  the  pleasure 
of  the  British  Government  to  release  them,  seeing  that  it  is  on  the  most 
friendly  terms  with  ours,  and  perfect  peace  prevailing  on  this  continent, 
their  wives,  sisters,  parents  and  other  relatives  may  expect  to  meet  with 
men  broken  down,  care-worn,  or  in  many,  if  not  in  most  cases,  friends  who 
have  painfully  endured  a  very  heavy,  and,  as  some  think,  most  unmeri- 
ted bondage. 

"  Their  names  are :  David  ^.llen,  Orlin  Blodgett,  George  T.  Brown, 
Robert  G.  Collins,  Luther  Darby,  William  Gates,  .Tohn  Morrisset,  James 
Pearcc,  Joseph  Thomson,  John  Berry,  Chauncey  Bugby,  Patrick  White, 
Thomas  Baker,  John  Cronkhife,  John  Thomas,  Nathan  Whiting,  Riley 
Whitney,  Edward  A.  Wilson,  Samuel  Washburn,  Bemis  Woodbury,  John 
Bradley,  James  Inglish,  Joseph  Lafore,  Daniel  Liscomb,  Hiram  Loop, 
(^alvm  and  Chauncey  Matthews,  Andrew  Moore,  Jehiel  H.  Martin,  Hugh 
Calhoun,  Leonard  Delano,  Moses  A.  Dutcher,  Elon  Fellowes,  Michael 
Frier,  Manuel  Garrison,  Gideon  A.  Goodrich,  Nelson  and  Jeremiah  Griggs, 
John  Gillman,  Daniel  D.  Heustis,  Garret  Hicks,  David  House,  Hiram 
Sharp,  Henry  Shew,  Orin  W.  Smith,  Joseph  W.  Stewart,  Foster  Martin, 
Ira  Polly,  Jacob  Paddock,  William  and  Solomon  Reynolds,  Asa  H. 
Richardson,  and  John  G.  Swansburgh.  Also  T.  Stockton,  who  is  in  ill 
health,  . '       '     ' 

"  The  following  Prescott  prisoners  are  dead  :  Anson  Owen,  Asa  Priest, 
Lysander  Curtis,  John  Stuart  of  Ohio,  William  Nottage,  and  Andrew 
Leaper. 

•'The  above  are  nearly  all  Americans.  The  prisoners  from  Windsor 
and  the  Short  Hills,  partly  Canadian  and  partly  from  the  United  States, 
are  in  tolerabb  health,  except  Robert  Marsh,  who  is  consumptive.  Their 
names  are,  Chauncey  Sheldon,  Elijah  C.  Woodman,  Michael  Murray, 
John  H.  Simmons,  Alvin  B.  Sweet,  Simeon  Groodrich,  James  M.  Acheson, 
Elijah  Stevens,  John  C.  Williams,  Samuel  Snow,  Riley  M.  Stewart,  John 
S))rague,  John  B.  Tyrrell,  James  DeWitt  Fero,  Henry  V.  Bamum,  John 


r 


46 


WRIOHTS  NARRA'ilVE. 


Varnum,  James  Waggoner,  Norman  Mallory,  Horace  Cooley,  John  6nuiit| 
Lynus  W.  Miller  (student  at  law,)  and  Jogeph  Stewart. 

*<  Of  these,  L.  W.  Miller  and  Joseph  Stewart  are  at  Port  Arthtir,  a 
place  of  additional  punishment.  They  attempted  to  recover  their  freew 
dom,  and  suffer  accordingly. 

"  The  prisoners  were  in  hopes  that  when  President  Tyler  and  Mr. 
Webster  concluded  the  late  Treaty  with  Britain,  through  Lord  Ashbur- 
ton,  and  when  Canada  got  a  new  constitution,  their  hard  fate  would  be 
remembered ;  but  no  one  of  these  on  the  island  knows  of  any  steps  taken 
for  a  release.  Mr.  Everett,  our  minister  at  London,  told  us  he  was  do- 
ing what  he  could  for  his  unhappy  countrymen,  but  thought  it  was  very 
doubtful  whether  they  would  be  allowed  again  to  see  their  native  land. 
We  were  five  months  on  the  passage  from  Van  Dieman's  Land  to  Lon- 
don, aid  Mr.  Everett  got  us  r.  ship  to  New- York. 

>,  *'  Wo  say  it  with  truth  and  sincerity,  that  we  would  not  of  choice  pass 
the  rest,  of  our  lives  on  Van  Dieman's  Land,  if  the  whole  island  were 
given  to  us  in  freehold  as  a  gift ;  and  as  there  can  be  no  fear  that  our  un- 
fortunate friends  who  remain  there  will  ever  again  desire  to  interfere  with 
Canada,  we  would  entreat  the  generous  and  humane  to  exert  themselves 
*r>  procure  their  release.  We  have  not  to  complain  of  unusual  harshness 
toward  ourselves,  and  yet  both  of  us  have  often  wished  to  be  relieved  by 
death  fror^  the  horrid  bondage  entailed  on  those  who  were  situated  as  we 
were.  To  be  obliged  to  drag  out  an  existence  in  such  a  convict  colony, 
and  among  such  a  population,  is,  in  itself,  a  punishment  severe  beyond  our 
power  to  describe. 

"  Several  parties,  in  all  about  one  thousand  five  hundred  men,  were 
placed  last  May  under  proper  officers  by  the  governor,  for  the  purpose  of 
securing  four  criminals  guilty  of  murder,  &c.  We  were  in  one  of  these 
parties  by  whom  the  criminals  were  secured  ;  and  this  and  general  good 
conduct  procured  several  persons  their  liberty,  among  whom  we  two  were 
so  fortunate  as  to  be  included. 

"  Morrisset,  Murry,  and  Lafore,  are,  we  think,  from  Lower  Canada. 

"  We  can  speak  more  decidedly  as  to  our  comrades  from  Prescott, 
Windsor,  and  the  Short  Hills,  above  named,  because  when  we  got  our 
freedom,  we  visited  most  of  them,  though  scattered  through  the  interior 
of  the  country,  following  their  several  trades  or  occupations.  One  of  us, 
Aaron  Dresser,  resides  in  Alexandria,  Jefferson  county — the  other,  Ste- 
phen S.  Wright,  lives  in  Denmark,  Lewis  county,  both  in  New- York  State. 
We  will  be  happy  to  reply  to  any  post-paid  letters  from  the  relatives  of 
our  comrades,  and  to  give  them  any  further  information  in  our  power. 

i.  ,  '     .;,  « AARON  DRESSER, 

.  /  r  .       ■':'■'->/      . ,  V        "STEPHEN  S.  WRIGHT." 


THS    END. 


} 


■i    :^-' 


"m 


,?m 


^..|'»'Ki 


7'l  •  V-    .        ■     ••':!•,,*{••    5.!^J!'>f  i.' 


.f.  :<-  "yj' 


.   <"  -.:i--^,t-;  -.. 


APPENDIX. 


''♦' ;    ,f^'.""i '   VT'.'> '"<■•(•'  ■'! 


by 


I 


NOTE     FIRST. 

The  cause  of  the  Patiiots  at  the  battle  of  Prescott,  justified  by  the  Reverend  Mar- 
cuH  ijmith,  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Watertown,  in  a  funeral  discourse  deliv- 
ered by  him,  December  9,  1839.     Tiie  following  is  a  brief  extract : 

"  But  if  they  went  to  liberate  tlie  oppressed,  to  give  to  a  people  crushed  by  supe- 
rior force,  and  awed  into  reluctant  Mubmiasion  by  military  fortresses  and  a  standing 
army,  the  opporttuiity  to  assert  their  rights  and  maintain  them — if  they  had  reason 
to  believe  that  a  laigc  majority  of  the  people  of  Canada  were  pailial  to  a  republican 
form  of  government,  and  were  anxious  and  able  to  prove  their  patriotism  by  an  hon- 
orable appeal  to  arms,  then  their  motives  were  benevolent  and  patriotic ;  and  though 
they  might  have'l)cen  deceived  by  misrepresentations  as  to  the  number  of  the  reform- 
ers, or  revoItitionistM ;  though  they  might  have  erred  on  the  practicability  of  the  en- 
terprise, 1  am  yet  to  be  convinced  that  the  Spartan  band  who  fell,  and  who  were 
taken  at  Prescott,  deserve  the  opprobrious  epithets  of  brigands  and  robbers. 

'  These  young  men  were  born  and  nurtured  wider  a  republican  government,  and 
the  only  intelligent  and  stable  republican  government  on  earth.  They  were  familiai- 
with  tlie  history  of  the  Revolution,  and  the  struggles  of  the  patriots  of  '76,  and 
tlieir  sympathicH  had  been  alternately  awakened  by  those  nations  on  the  ea^item  and 
western  continents,  who  had  attempted  to  achieve  their  freedom ;  and  it  was  a  set- 
tled principle  of  their  political  faith,  that  every  nation  and  people  had  aright  totlirow 
oft  an  dristocratical  government,  assert  their  independence,  and  assume  a  government 
moie  in  accordance  with  justice,  humanity,  and  inalienable  rights.  Their  sympathies 
were  republiccin,  and  they  would  have  been  hypocrites,  and  tmworthy  of  the  inher- 
itance left  them  by  their  fathers,  if  they  had  not  sympathized  with  those  who  were 
struggling  for  independence.  Republican  patriotism  is  not  a  phantom  of  the  brain, 
but  a  deep  principle  of  the  heart.  *  *  *  What  if  they  could  see  that  the  enter- 
prise and  the  invasion  was  a  violation  of  the  laws  of  neutrality,  and  placed  their 
only  hope  in  the  prompt  redemption  of  those  pledges  they  had  received  from  the 
Canadians?  yet  do  these  considerations  prove  that  in  the  sight  cf  God  and  justice, 
tliese  young  men  are  to  be  ranked  with  freebooters  and  pirates  ?  Are  they  to  be 
ranked  with  the  blood-thirsty  clans  of  the  interior  of  Asia .'  Young  men,  brought 
up  in  virtuous  and  christian  families,  and  among  peaceful  and  intelligent  compan- 
ions ;  are  these  men  to  be  associated  with  the  crimsoned  assassin,  who,  to  gratify 
his  avarice,  and  to  glut  his  vengeance,  destroys  his  victim  and  hves  on  the  spoil  ? 

"  In  my  opinion,  justice  and  the  page  of  history  will  never  fix  so  foul  aaimputa- 
tiou  on  this  unfortunate  band  of  youth.    They  have  no  such  motives  to  confeiu)  to 


1^ 


il  APPENDIX. 

Ood  or  to  man.  nnd  whatever  character  and  awards  may  he  aMigfned  them  hy  the 
laws  of  nutionii  or  the  court-martial  ot  (lanadn,  the  decision  of  u  Hi|f[her  Court  v  ill 
show  tiiat  they  were  influenced  by  Hympnthy  for  the  oppressed,  mid  by  love  to  tliat 
form  of  ^'overnmcnt,  moHt  equal,  juM,  and  approved  of  (lod.  8ome  might  have 
been  influenced  by  the  vain  ambition  of  heini;  the  firnt  to  plant  the  Standard  of 
Liberty  in  Canada;  srime  mif^ht  huvu  Iwcn  influenced  by  pride,  and  abhorrence  of 
the  charge  of  cowardice ;  Home  may  have  been  lured  by  the  prospect  and  jiroflers  of 
a  reward  of  some  of  the  consecrated  glcbcH  of  that  country,  fir  Nome  of  the  unoccu- 
pied wildfl  of  the  north.  There  are  always  visions  and  accompnnimcntH  of  every 
riiterprise, 


NOTE   SECOND. 

William  Lvom  Macken/u:  clears  his  skirts  of  this  unfortunate  expedition  in  tlie 
following  wordn  : 

"  Of  the  getting  up  of  this  expedition,  as  we  remarked  before,  we  know  nothing. 
Of  itH  failure,  those  of  our  citizens  who  were  spectators  after  the  arrival  of  the  expe- 
dition on  Monday,  can  have  but  one  opinion.  Tliere  were  ample  means  both  in  men 
and  munitions,  and  no  want  of  courage  or  dispasitiim  so  far  as  most  of  the  men  were 
concerned,  to  have  captured  Prescott.  Indeed,  Prewott  might  have  been  as  easily 
taken  as  Ogdensburgh — and  every  one  knows  that  Ogdennburgh  surrendered  without 
firing  a  gun,  and  remained  in  possession  of  the  leaders  of  the  expedition  nnd  such 
of  their  men  '»8  would  not  go  over  to  Canada  without  them,  for  nearly  a  week.  To 
the  want  of  courage,  then,  in  those  who  secretly  or  publicly  directed  this  expedition, 
is  the  failure  to  capture  Prescott  to  be  attributed.  The  execution  of  this  project  by 
the  leaders  of  the  expedition  (for  it  seemed  to  be  well-planned)  is  evidence,  if  evi- 
dence were  wanting,  that  all  eflbrts  of  this  kind  must  depend  for  success  xtpon  a 
better  foundation  than  any  other  impulses  or  motives  of  action  than  an  open,  bold, 
inherent  love  of  liberty  for  its  own  sake,  and  an  uncompromising  hatred  f  tyranny 
and  oppression." 

The  enemies  of  Mr.  Mackenzie  wished  to  attribute  all  tho  blame  of  the  failure  to 
him.  He  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  expedition,  save  tho  agitating  the  great  cause 
of  freedom.  It  was  those  who  were  imme<liately  concerned  that  the  public  ought  to 
bring  to  retribution  for  the  ungenerous  part  they  acted  in  the  battle  of  Prescott. 


^ .«»»«;. 


J  -" 


NOTE    THIRD. 


Of  what  docs  Canada  complain  ?  The  following  extracts  will  show  in  what  man- 
ner she  was  aggrieved :  '  "■  :*  ■  ■     >i^ 'V  ■T  '■■■■'/ 

"  Of  viHAT  DOES  Canada  complain  .' — Of  absence  of  security  for  life  and  property ; 
of  taxation  without  representation ;  of  the  destruction  of  the  liberty  of  the  press ;  of 
the  suspension  of  the  habeas  corpus ;  of  packed  juries ;  of  a  judiciary  bribed  by,  and 
entirely  dependent  on,  the  crown ;  of  the  profligate  waste  of  the  public  revenue 
among  swarms  of  foreign  officials ;  of  the  division  of  the  public  lands  among  com- 
panies of  foreign  stock-jobbers  and  speculators,  to  the  injury  and  degradation  of  in- 


APPENDIX. 


49 


diiatriouJi  ngriculturiMs  and  emi|gpnntfi ;  of  education  for  thi;  rich  and  none  for  the 
poor ;  ol  u  dominant  cniirt-eMahlisheil  church ;  of  the  baniHhnnent,  exile,  intprinoii- 
ment,  plunder,  and  wanton  murder  of  Americans  and  other  liberals ;  of  the  annihilation 
(if  the  colonial  con!«tilution  ;  of  the  abolition  of  all  repreBentntivc  form  of  government, 
iind  of  the  erection  on  the  ruinn  thereof  of  an  arbitrary  and  vindictive  military  dcs- 
|iotiNm." 

Prom  Mm.  Janimoira  RamblM.  '  ••     •    ■       ^     .. 

"  I  taw,  ot  courue,  Homethini;  of  the  ntute  of  feeling  on  both  Hided,  (Hays  Mrs. 
,laitic,s(ni  II)  her  preface,)  but  not  enough  to  venture  a  word  on  the  Hubject.  Upper 
(!iiiiiiilfi  appeared  to  me  loyal  in  Hftirit,  but  rencntful  and  repining  under  the  Nenoc  of 
iiijurv.  and  Niirtt>ring  from  the  total  abnence  of  all  sympathy  on  the  part  of  the  Eng- 
L'<l)  Covcinment  with  the  condition,  the  wants,  the  feelings,  the  capubilitie,s  of  the 
|ieo(.li>  and  country.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  this  want  of  sympathy  now  exist.*! 
to  the  samo  extent  a.s  formerly ;  it  ha»  been  abruptly  and  painfully  awakened,  but  it 
has  too  long  existed.  In  climate,  in  soil,  in  natural  productions  of  every  kind,  tho 
('t)ppr  Province  appeared  to  me  superior  to  the  Tiower  Province,  and  well  calculated 
to  Iwcome  th«-  inexhauHtible  timber-yaid  and  granary  of  the  Mother  Country.  The 
'vniit  of  a  sca-poit,  the  want  of  security  of  properly,  the  general  mismanagement  of 
tlie  government  landn- -these  seemed  to  me  the  most  prominent  causes  of  the  physi- 
cal depression  of  this  splendid  country,  while  the  poverty  and  deficient  education  of 
the  |i!'f»pl»',  and  a  plentiful  lack  of  public  spirit  in  lhom\  who  were  not  of  the  people, 
seemed  sufficiently  to  iiccount  for  the  moral  depression  everywhere  visible.  Add  a 
sy.steiii  of  mistakes  and  mal-tulniinistration,  not  chargeable  to  any  one  individual,  or 
iiii\  one  measure,  but  to  the  whole  tendency  of  our  colonial  government ;  the  per- 
|)«'Uial  change  of  officials  and  change  of  measurses ;  the  fluctuation  of  principles 
destroying  all  public  confidence,  and  a  degree  of  'gnoiance  relative  to  the  country 
itself,  not  credible  except  to  tho.se  who  may  have  visited  it;  and  these  three  things 
together,  the  want  of  knowledge,  the  \,ant  of  judgment,  the  want  of  sympathy,  oii 
tlie  part  of  the  Government,  how  can  we  be  surprised  at  the  stiangcly  anomalous 
condition  of  the  governed  ?  that  of  a  land  absolutely  teeming  with  the  richest  capa- 
bilities, yet  poor  in  population,  in  wealth,  and  in  encrg) ." 


;■  u    . 


t-  'fi\j 


NOTE    FOURTH. 


•  ';■  ■'        i 


I. 


•  /.t'-i  <:'.'_<' 


Tjii;  following  letters  are  taken  from  •'  Mackenzie's  Grazette,"  of  November  24, 
1838,  regarding  the  aHair  of  the  Windmill. 

"  OoDKNgBUKOH,  Friday,  Nov.  17. 

"  Dear  Sir 

"  I  hasten  to  give  you  the  latest  news,  although  such  as  I  have  to  relate,  at  pres- 
f'lit,  is  indeed  melancholy.  The  Patriots  have,  until  to-day,  fairly  held  their  own ; 
hut  this  day  at  noon,  the  Cobourg  and  five  other  steamboats,  brought  down  eight 
hundred  British  regular  troops,  and  some  of  the  heaviest  cannon  in  the  province. 
These,  added  to  one  thousand  militia,  were  too  much  for  the  Patriots.  They  were 
.surioundeil  by  land,  and  the  steamboats  kept  up  a  murderous  fire  from  the  river. 
The  Patriots  foiight  nobly,  but  it  was  of  no  use ;  they  were  driven  back  antl  scat- 
tered.   At  sunset  they  held  out  a  flag  of  truce,  which,  though  displayed  three  times, 


M 


APPENDIX. 


the  Bhtiah  did  not  regard;  they  hud  ordera  to  •  GIVK  NO  QUARTERS,  AND 
TAKE  NO  PRIiSONEHS ! '  At  tbiit  time,  two  of  the  hnuMn  occupied  by  the 
Patriota  are  burning,  and  the  British  rrgularH  uru  uroimd  the  windmill,  looklog  on, 
but  not  molvMtcd.     There  ijt  no  riring  now  on  vilhei  tiidc. 

"  From  all  upixsarunceH,  the  Patriolit  nro  totally  routed  and  annihilated  I  It  ia 
burely  poMiblc  tliut  a  very  lew  may  have  e!(ca|M!d,  hut  probably  not  one  will  live  to 
tell  the  tnlc. 

"  The  excitement  hero  ia  trcmendoutt;  the  utmoat  indignation  prevailii  agaiiiHt  the 
Patriot  officers  and  leaders.     It  ix  a  Noictnn  truth,  that  there  wuh  but  one  general 

officer  in  the  action !    Had  it  not  been  for  aurh  cowardly  Bcoundreln  an  W 

J ,  B ,  P ,  N ,  and  ieveral  more  Buch,  thin  reault  would  not  have 

taken  place.  Their  lives  are  almost  threatened  by  Mveral  of  our  moat  reapectable 
citizens,  nnd  they  may  Bulier  yet  for  xending  innocent  and  brave  men  where  they 
dare  not  go  thenuflveB ! 

"  The  battle  wan  most  splendid — about  two  thouHand  fighting  at  a  time ;  the  num< 
bet  of  killed  and  wounded  in  this  engagement  cannot  fall  much  nhort  of  five  hun- 
dred.    You  may  imagine  how  true  and  faithful  the  Patriotn  at  the  windmill  fotight, 

when  I  tell  you  that  P K and  a  few  more  went  to  them  last  night,  at  the 

hazard  of  their  livefi,  to  take  them  ofl'  their  |)OHition,  but  they  refused  to  leave, 
haying  that  they  were  confident  their  friends  would  not  desert  them,  and  that  there 

were  thot:aands  of  men  in county,  bound  by  their  oaths  to  asaist  them,  and 

that  they  would  abide  the  issoe.     And  now  they  are  nil,  or  nearly  oil,  murdered  ! 

"  Respectfully,  &c. 
..-v  ,.      .,■  .  ,.    '     .,.  ■  :■/.  ;  ..J.  M.  DOTY 

"4oVlMk,P.  M. 

"  Mr.  Jonah  Woodruff  has  this  moment  arrived  from  Ogdensburgh,  which  place 
he  left  at  noon,  yesterday.  He  saw  one  man — a  Pole — who  escaped,  and  who  sup- 
jMjsed  hinr.  ■'"  to  be  the  only  one  left  alive.  The  Patriots  rushed  out  of  the  mi'  't, 
or  soon  after  sunset,  with  three  white  flags,  but  they  were  all  speared  as  the;  * 
out.  The  mill  wiw  then  filled  with  British  troops,  and  the  Polo — who  esc; 
with  two  others,  who  liad  secreted  themselves  in  the  lower  part  of  the  mill,  mingled 
with  the  British  troops,  but  his  two  companions  weic  killed ;  he  himself  escaped  by 
wearing  the  coat  of  Lieutenant  Johnson,  who  was  killed  on  Tuesday. 

"  The  Patriot  force  in  the  mill  numbered  one  hundred  and  eleven  men,  besides 
eleven  wounded. 

•<  It  is  supposed  that  Coloael  Vou  ISctviultz,  a  Pole,  who  conunanded  the  Patriot 
force,  killed  himself." 


*  "  '.  I     >        .  ..  "0«D«!i«BDKOH,  Pridsy,  No».  M. 

"Dear  Sir:  ''''"' 

"  I  hasten  to  give  you  the  latest  news,  which  is'indeed  melancholy.  The  Patriots 
have  until  to-day,  fairly  held  their  own  ;  but  to-day  at  noon,  the  Cobourg  and  five 
other  boats,  brought  down  eight  hundred  British  regular  troops,  and  some  ol  the 
heaviest  cannon  in  the  province.  These,  added  to  one  thousand  militia,  were  too 
much  for  the  Patriots.  They  were  surroiuvled  by  land,  and  the  steamboats  kept  up 
a  murderous  fire  from  the  river.  The  Patriots  fought  nobly,  but  it  was  of  no  use ; 
they  were  driven  back  and  scattered. 

At  sunset  they  held  out  a  flag  of  truce,  which,  though  displayed  three  times,  the 
British  did  not  regard ;  they  had  orders  to  "  GIYE  NO  QUARTER,  AND  TAKE  NO 
PRISONERS  1"    At  this  time  two  of  the  houses  occupied  by  the  Patriots  are  bum* 


APPBNDIX. 


§1 


iiy,  uul  h«  British  reifularii  ait  around  the  wuwiinill,  looking  on.  but  not  molcitad. 
Theft  it  no  (irii>g  now  ou  either  itide. 

"  Froin  aJl  apiwuraiicuM  the  Fatriotn  are  totally  routed  and  annihilated.  It  it  barely 
poeaiblc  tlutt  a  very  lew  niay  luive  etcapeJ,  but  probably  not  one  will  live  to  tell  the 
tale. 

••  The  Ituttle  wut  moat  Hplendid — about  2000  tighting  ut  a  time ;  tlic  number  of  killed 
and  wounded  in  tblH  ciigii((«m«nt  caimot  (all  much  itbort  of  6U0.  You  may  imagine 
how  true  luul  tnithful  the  PiitriotM  at  th<)  windmill  fought,  when  I  tell  you  that 

J> K —  and  a  few  more  went  to  them  butt  night,  at  the  hazard  of  their 

hvcn,  to  (ako  them  oil' their  p<jHitiou.  but  they  refuted  to  leave,  saying  that  they  were 
conhditiit  tlwii  friendH  would  not  detert  them,  that  tliere  were  thouiiandH  of  men  in 
— >— —  county,  bound  by  their  oathii  to  aatiHt  them,  and  that  they  would  abide 
the  itaiue.     And  now  tlicy  are  all,  or  nearly  all,  muroerko  ! 

"  ReapectfuUy  youn. 
'  '   '    '  *      ^  "J.  M.  DOTY" 


,,^,.,.,..,     ,„  ^i.vv    ■- •     i:  ■'  "40'elcck,  p.  M. 

"  Mr.  Jonan  WoodrutThaa  this  moment  arrived  from  Ogdensburgh,  which  place 
he  left  at  noon  yesterday.  He  Haw  one  man,  a  Pole,  who  escaped,  and  who  sup- 
posed himself  to  bo  the  only  one  left  alive.  The  Patriots  rushed  out  of  the  mil!, 
at,  or  soon  "'.er  sunset,  with  three  white  flage,  but  they  were  all  speared  as  they  wint 
out. 

'•  The  mill  was  then  filled  with  British  troops,  and  the  Pole — who  escaped — with 
two  otherH  who  had  Hecieted  themsclveH  in  the  lower  part  of  the  mill,  mingled  with 
liie  British  troops,  but  \\w  two  companions  were  killed;  he  himself  escaped  by  wear- 
ing the  coat  of  l.ieutciiunt  Johnson,  who  was  killed  on  Tuesday.  The  Patriot  force 
in  the  mill  numbered  1 1 1  men,  besides  1 1  wouude()  Col.  Woodruff,  of  Salina,  ia  said 
to  be  among  the  number  killed. 


I 


J    '■■  >.t   i   '     i^':*t 


.\A^^   :\ 


ROYALIST  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  16th  INST.    "'  • 


Yesterday  evening,  the  following  dispatch  from  the  Hon.  Lieut.  Dundas  of  the 
83rd.  Regiment,  was  received  at  Head  Quarters,  Montreal.  We  trust  that  the  Amen- 
can  brigands  have  only  escaped  the  bullet  and  bayonet,  to  terminate  their  career  on 
the  scaffold. — [Herald. 


Sir: 


'0 


Fre»cott,  Nov.  16, 1838. 


"  I  have  the  honor  to  acquaint  you,  for  the  information  of  His  Excellency  the  Com- 
mander of  the  Forces,  that  I  came  down  here  yesterday  from  Kingston  with  four 
companies  of  the  83rd  Regiment,  two  18  pounders,  and  a  howitzer,  and  made  up  from 
the  town  to  a  position  about  four  hundred  yards  from  the  windmill,  and  adjoin- 
ing houses  occupied  by  the  brigands.  They  did  not  move  or  come  out  of  the  houses 
to  oppose  my  advance.  The  18  pounders  opened  with  good  effect  upon  the  stone 
building  near  the  mill.  Capt.  Sandon,  wi;h  two  gunboats,  in  which  he  carried  two 
18  pounders,  took  up  a  position  below  the  windmill,  which  he  commanded,  but  not 
with  much  effect.  After  cannonading  these  buildings  for  an  hour,  or  rather  more, 
and  observing  the  brigands  to  be  quitting  them  and  endeavoring  to  escape,  I  otdered 

4* 


wmtmmt 


wa 


53 


APPENDIX. 


the  troops  to  advance ;  rery  little  resistance  was  offered  by  the  party  occupying  the 
windmiP,  but  a  small  fire  was  opposed  to  us  from  the  adjoining  stone  building. 

"  It  being  dark  before  the  troops  got  round  these  buildings,  and  the  brigands  in  the 
winiimill  having  displayed  a  white  flag,  they  were  summoned  to  surrender  them- 
selves uncondiiionally,  which  they  did.  Fi^hty-six  prisoners  were  immediately 
secured,  and  sixteen  others,  who  were  wo;uided,  were  removed  from  the  mill  as  soon 
as  convenience  could  be  found ;  a  large  supply  of  arms,  twenty-six  kegs  of  powder, 
and  three  pieces  of  ordnance  fell  into  our  hands. 

••  Some  of  tl;j  brigands  effected  their  escape  from  the  buildings  when  darkness  came 
on,  and  hid  themselves  in  the  bnishwood  on  the  bank  under  the  miU.  I  directed  the 
militia  to  scour  this  bank,  and  several  prisoners  were  pecured,  among  others  a  Pole, 
calling  himself  Gen.  Von  Schoultz,  who,  it  is  understood,  was  the  principal  leader. 
All  buildings  adjoining  the  mill  we  destroyed,  but  the  latter  I  directed  to  be  occupied 
by  a  company  of  militia,  and  propose  that  it  should  Le  so,  or  entirely  demolished. 

•  I  am  happy  to  say  the  service  was  performed  with  the  loss  of  one  man  only  of 
♦he  83rd  Regiment. 

"  Your  most  obedient  servant, 
,  .        ,  "H.  DUNDAS, 

'  ••  Lieut.  Col.  83rd  Reg't  Commandant. 

Capt.  Coldie,  A.  D.  C,  Montreal." 


,i::i. 


NOTE    FIFTH. 

For  the  foUo'^ing  notices  and  letters,  the  author  is  indebted  to  the  «•  Onondaga 
Standard,"  "Oswego  Bulletin,"  and  "  Mackenzie's  Gazette." 

COLONEL  VON  SCHOULTZ'S  LETTER. 


'Fort  Hknrv,  Dec.  1, 1838. 
"  Dear  Sir  :  >  , 

"  I  take  the  liberty  to  address  you  some  few  lines,  begging  you  to  '.nake  publicly 
known  the  kind  and  civil  treatment  we  have  experienced  from  the  c/ficers  and  mon 
belonging  to  the  eighty-third  Regiment,  so  that  if  any  member  of  hat  corps  should 
travel  in  the  United  States,  our  friends  there  may  show  them  our  gratitude.  We 
may  fairly  say  that  we  ov\e  our  lives  to  them,  because,  had  they  not  protected  us 
after  we  surrendered,  the  militia  would  surely  have  killed  the  greater  number  of  vs. 
The  sheriff',  in  whose  keeping  we  arc,  hos  treated  us  most  kindly,  and  done  everj'- 
thing  in  his  power  to  better  the  situation  in  which  we  were  thiowii  by  the  miserable 
cowardice  of  General  Bii^,  Bill  Johnston,  and  their  officer.?.  If  oor  prayers  were 
heard,  those  base  rascals  would  have  been  delivered  over  to  the  British  Government 
by  o'lr  own  •,  and  we  would  then  meet  our  own  fate  with  i>eJect  resignation 

"  When,  on  Monday  night,  the  general  did  not  come  over  or  .send  us  any  reenforce- 
ment,  and  when  none  of  the  inhabitants  or  legulars  did  join  us,  the  men,  about  one 
'lundred  and  i^vcnty  in  number,  begged  me  to  take  the  command,  and  lead  them 
back  to  the  United  States.  We  had  then  not  a  single  boat  for  use,  and  the  British 
steamer  Experiment,  kept  up  a  vigilant  look-out  on  the  river.  We  defended  cur- 
selves  for  some  time  against  a  superior  enemy,  during  which  time,  I  was  confident 
boatG  would  be  sent  from  the  American  shore  to  our  assistance.    None  were  pro 


APPENDIX. 


68 


cured,  however,  by  the  cowards.  Tuesday  morning  we  vere  attacked  by  land  and 
water,  at  about  seven  o'clock;  the  firing  ceased  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
when  the  British  withdraw  and  left  us  in  our  position.  We  had  about  thirty  killed 
and  woiuided.  I  ha/),  during  tlie  night,  sent  a  man  acrobS  the  river  oa  a  plank, 
for  boats.  Tuesday  evening,  the  gcneral'ei  adjutant  came  over,  telling  m**  a  schooner 
\v(»ul(l  bo  over  to  take  us  away.  We  carried  our  wounded  down  on  the  bank,  and 
waited  with  an.xiety  lor  the  arrival  of  the  vessel,  but  none  ariived.  Wednesday 
passed  iiw;iy,  und  the  British  began  to  surround  us  with  con:iiderable  forces,  haras- 
sing our  Hanks  continually.  I  think,  Thursday  night  a  steamer  from  the  American 
shcire  iipjtroachcd  tis,  luid  we  were  informed  by  a  couple  of  men  sent  ashore,  that  it 
was  to  take  us  away.  We  again  carried  out  our  wounded,  but  some  few  vifle  shots 
from  tiie  British  frightened  the  cowards  away,  and  we  were  again  left  to  ourselves. 

"  Fiiday,  at  about  mid-day,  a  parley  came  from  the  British,  for  the  purpose 
of  taking  away  the  killed  that  remained  on  the  field,  and  I  delivered  over  to  him  the 
British  woundeil  I  had  taken  up,  as  I  had  no  medical  stores  of  any  kind,  and  it 
wotild  have  been  a  base  and  unmanly  policy  to  augment  the  sufferings  of  the 
wounde'i  enemy.  One  hour's  cessation  of  hostilities  was  gitmted  for  burying  our 
dead,  but  having  no  shovels,  we  could  not  do  it — when  the  time  was  out,  the  British 
.steimers  came  down  with  heavy  artillery,  and  the  battle  began.  As  I  could  get  nr» 
one  to  take  the  defence  of  the  house  on  our  left  flank,  I  went  there  myself  with  tea 
men.  As  I  had  suspected,  that  house  was  most  strenuously  attacked.  From  the 
situatii.'n  of  the  house,  I  was  not  able  to  see  how  it  went  on  in  the  other  houses  and 
the  mill.  We  must  have  been  surrounded  by  at  least  '.wo  thousand  men,  and  a  de- 
tachment of  the  eighty-third  Regiment.  My  whole  number  of  men,  when  this  last 
battle  began,  was  one  hundred  and  eight. 

"  I  kept  my  position,  though  the  root  crumbled  to  pieces  over  our  heads,  by  the 
British  fire  from  their  artillery,  until  dark,  when  I  was  informed  that  all  had  surren- 
dered. I  also  then  .surrendered.  I  was  stripped  to  the  shirt  sleeves  by  the  militia,  in 
the  firat  moment  of  anger  and  fury.  Even  my  bonnet  was  taken  away.  I  lost  my 
watch,  trunk,  money,  and  the  clothing  I  had  on. 

"  We  are  tried  by  couit-martial !    I  have  had  my  trial — am  prepared  for  death. 

"  Youra  tnily, 

«  S.  VON  SCHOULTZ. 
'•J.  F  Parker,  Jisq.,  Oswego." 


From  the  Oswego  BulUUn. 

THE  MEMORY  OF  VON  SCHOULTZ. 


From  a  company  of  heroes,  who.se  deeds  shall  hereafter  furnish  rich  theme  for 
"  sweet  lyre,"  I  select  one,  whose  name  even  now  makps  burn  with  fiercer  fires  the 
youthful  blood ;  and  age,  when  heedful  of  liis  viifut,  mourns  his  early  loss,  and 
claims  for  him  revenge.  It  is  the  name  of  Von  Schouli:': — ii  Polish  patriot — driven 
by  the  oppressor's  jd  from  his  native  land,  he  sought  aiid  found  an  asylum  here 
The  story  of  Canadian  wrongs  early  found  in  him  a  sympathizing  hstener.  In  fancy, 
he  again  saw  Poland  writhing  under  the  despot's  heel,  and  a  stranger  in  a  strange 
land,  he  opened  his  bosom  to  the  complaints  of  the  oppressed.  "  Where  liberty 
dwelt  there  wv>  hi?  cpwntry,"    ^or  her  had  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  wave,  and  stand- 


«4 


APPENDIX 


tag  on  our  shorM,  did  her  far  •off  voice  of  sorrow  pierce  the  interveiiing  gloom;  ud 
he  determined  yet  once  more  to  strike  for  her  a  blow,  and  give  the  houaelese  waui> 
derer  a  home 

He  has  fallen — hnt  not  amid  the  stem  conflict  of  the  heady  fight  hiu  genius  had 
directed  and  his  commanding  valor  sustained.  He  is  gone — but  not  from  the  hard 
fought  field  of  his  glory  did  his  immortal  spirit  take  its  flight.  No — amid  the  exe- 
cmtions  of  maudlin  brutality,  and  the  fiend  huzzas  of  a  rabble  rout,  was  that  noble 
man  conducted  as  a  felon  to  the  gallows ;  and  there  alone,  with  enemies,  though  all 
unconquered  still,  did  he  submit  in  death  to  British  mercy! !  '     «>  • 

"  Kino  3T0N  Jail,  7th  December,  1838. 

"  When  you  get  this  letter  I  am  no  more.  I  have  been  informed  that  my  execution 
will  take  place  to-morrow.  May  God  forgive  them  who  brought  me  to  this  untimely 
death:  I  have  made  up  my  mind,  and  I  forgive  them.  To-day  I  have  been  promised 
a  lawyer,  to  draw  up  my  will.  I  have  appointed  you  my  executor  of  said  will.  1 
wrote  to  you  in  my  former  letter  about  my  bo^y.  If  (he  British  government  permit 
it,  I  wish  it  may  be  delivered  to  you  to  be  buried  on  your  farm.  I  have  no  time  to 
write  long  to  you,  because  I  have  great  need  of  communicating  with  my  Creator,  and 
preparing  for  his  presence.  The  time  has  been  very  .,hort  that  has  been  allowed.  My 
last  wish  to  the  Americans  is,  that  they  may  not  think  of  avenging  my  death.  Let 
no  further  blood  be  shed  ;  and  believe  me,  from  what  1  have  seen,  that  all  the  stories 
that  were  told  about  the  sufferings  of  the  Canadian  people,  were  untrue.  Give  my 
love  to  your  sister,  and  tell  her  f  think  on  her  as  on  my  mother.  God  reward  her 
for  all  her  kindness.  I  further  beg  you  to  take  care  of  W.  Johnston,  so  that  he  may 
find  an  honorable  bread.     Farewell,  my  dear  friend  !    God  bless  and  protect  you. 

(Signed.) 

«S.  VON  SCHOULTZ 

"To  Warren  Grebn,  Esq.,  Salina,  State  of  New-York,  United  States."  .,    ,,; 


From  the  Franklin  Gazette. 


COLONEL  VON  SCHOULTZ. 

Attempts  have  recently  been  made  by  the  Tories  of  Canada,  and  their  friends  and 
coadjutors  in  the  States,  to  produce  the  impression  that  this  lamented  martyr  of  lib- 
erty was  a  Russian  e-nissary,  sent  to  this  country  by  the  Emperor  Nicholas  to  aid 
the  rebelion  in  Canada.  To  rescue  the  name  of  Von  Schouhz  from  the  disgrace  and 
infamy  which  such  a  charge,  if  established,  would  bring  upon  it,  we  copy  the  fol- 
lowing extract  from  a  letter  to  the  editor  of  the  Syracuse  Standard. 

NiLES  GusTAF  ScHOBTKWisKii  VoN  ScHOULTZ  was  of  Svvedish  descent,  a  Pole 
by  birth,  and  of  noble  extraction.  He  had  just  finished  an  education,  which  versed 
him  deeply  in  the  Sciences,  both  useful  and  ornamental,  and  had  acquired  the  highest 
litei-ary  honors  of  the  principal  and  most  celebrated  Universities  of  Northern  Europe, 
when  he  found  himself  engaged  in  that  sanguinary  and  unequal  contest  between 
Poland  and  Russia,  the  unhappy  termination  of  which  lost  to  himself  a  country,  and 
to  that  unfortunate  country  everything  but  a  name.  As  he  was  ever  extremely 
modest  in  his  pretensions,  I  have  seldom  heard  him  revert  to  personal  achievements 
incidtiiital  to  events  so  memorable,  and  then  only  xxaier  circumstances  of  the  highest 
excitement.    But  I  have  learnt  from  these  occasional  departures  from  self-reserve, 


APPENDIX. 


66 


and  incontcstibly  from  other  nources,  that  the  important  part  he  oiacted  was  bril' 
liant  with  heoric  adventures  and  hair-breadth  escapes,  the  bare  recital  of  which  is  cal- 
culated to  enchain  and  captivate  the  most  casual  listener.  Certain  it  is,  he  signalized 
himself  amid  a  host  of  heroes,  for  his  rise  was  sudden,  from  the  comparative  obscu> 
rity  of  the  scholar  to  the  very  responsible  command  of  a  colonel. 

<*  In  that  sanguinary  and  decisive  struggle  before  th"  walls  of  Warsaw,  his  father 
and  a  brother  tell  martyrs  to  the  sacred  cause  of  liberty.  His  mother  and  a  sister 
fled  in  the  disguise  of  peasants,  but  were  taken  and  banished  to  Russia,  and  are  now 
confined  to  a  space  of  ten  miles  square  of  that  Empire.  Himself  gashed  and  scarred 
with  wounds,  but  covered  with  imperishable  glory — a  fugitive  wandeiing  from  oun- 
try  to  country — friends  and  fortune  lost,  despoiled  of  home  and  kindred,  with  a  con- 
stitution much  inipared,  he  finally  effected  a  landing  on  our  shores,  commonly 
denominated  '•'  the  home  of  the  brave  and  the  land  of  the  free."  He  evidently  has 
been  a  traveller,  as  is  to  be  inferred  from  his  own  declarations,  as  well  as  from  rich 
stores  of  information  he  has  acquire*^,  from  actual  observation.  Sweden,  Denmark, 
Finland,  Lapland,  Norway,  Germany,  Holland,  Austria,  Italy,  Switzerland,  France, 
Spain,  Portugal,  England,  and  finally  America  have  been  the  theatre  of  his  travels,  and 
he  had  not  only  acquirea  a  general  geographical  knowledge  of  them  all  but  an  inti- 
mate acquaintance  with  tlie  habits,  manners  and  customs  of  their  inhabitants.  I  havd 
heard  him  dwell  long  and  eloquently  on  the&i,  to  me,  novel  and  interesting  topics — of 
Polar  snows,  and  Italian  skien,  and  of  burning  African  suns — he  had  served  beneatli 
the  scorching  rays  of  the  latter,  and  dwelt  under  the  benign  influence  of  the  former — 
of  Florence,  its  statuary,  its  picture  galleries,  and  above  all,  of  the  urbanity  and  hos- 
pitality of  its  inhabitants,  he  was  ecstatic  in  praise.  He  spoke  eight  diflerent  dialects, 
but,  at  the  time  of  his  arrival  here,  he  had  only  an  imperfect  knowledge  of  our  own. 
His  contiguity  to,  and  his  father's  interest  in  th^elebrated  mines  of  Cracow,  led  him 
to  an  intimate  knowledge  of  the  manufacture  o*  our  principal  and  staple  ariicle,  salt. 
Thrown  upon  his  own  resourses,  in  a  land  of  strangers,  divested  of  every  vestige  of 
property,  but  a  few  valuable  family  relics,  he  cast  about  him  with  his  usual  energy 
for  the  means  of  a  livelihood,  and  these  considerations  brought  him  to  the  Onondaga 
salines  in  the  fall  of  1836.  Here  he  fitted  up  a  small  laboratory — made  his  experi- 
ments—became confirmed  in  the  truth  of  his  own  theory,  and  succeeded  in  convin- 
cing, at  least  one  individual,  of  the  practicability  and  utility  of  his  improvement.  la 
short  he  proceeded  to  Washington — obtained  Letters  Patent — visited  and  rmalyzed  the 
principal  springs  in  Virginia — made  the  most  f"  Table  impiessions  wherever  he 
extended  his  business  or  acquaintance,  and  final  Mimed  here  according  to  prom- 
ise, and  put  two  of  our  furnaces  in  operation  on  hin  laii  .-accessfully.  While  here 
he  listened  to  the  current  report  of  Patriot  sufiering,  ol  the  ippressora  and  the 
oppressed, of  a  vast  population,  seven-len'hs  of  which  waited  me  coming  of  the  libe- 
rators with  open  and  extended  arms.  His  sympathizing  soul  was  fi:  il  at  the  thot,  ,ht 
of  again  being  permitted  to  strike  for  freedom — his  enthusiastic  reckles.sness  of  dan  - 
gei"  led  him  into  its  very  vortex,  and  he  has  perished — ignominiously  perished. 

"  On  a  review  of  the  .sparkling  incidents  of  his  brief  and  romantic  career,  I  -'  1  think 
on  him  as  the  creature  of  a  high  wrought  fancy  rather  than  of  sober  realit  -like  a 
meteor  of  uncommon  brilliancy,  which  has  suddenly  illumined  the  path  ot  my  dull 
existence,  and  as  suddenly  disappeared  for  eve.'. 

«« WARREN  GREEN. 

«  Salina,  December  28,  1838."  >;  .:- 

The  Onondaga  Standard  contains  the  following  sketch  of  the  life  of  Colonel  Von 

Schoultz.  • 

<'•  He  is  a  Polish  refugee  of  a  noble  family,  having  commanded  u  regiment  in  fhe 


M 


APPENDIX. 


i 


h? 


Itl 


Polish  revolution.  His  lather  was  a  general  in  ihc  Polish  army,  and  fell  in  the 
sanguinary  contest  under  the  walls  of  Warsaw.  Tlie  son  was  made  a  prisoner,  but 
•with  seventeen  of  his  companions  in  arms,  made  his  escape  from  the  Russian 
Guards,  and  reached  this  country.  The  two  other  Poles,  named  us  prisoners  at 
Kingftoii,  belonged  to  his  regiment  in  his  native  country.  Von  Schoultz  has  resided 
in  this  town,  a  part  of  the  time,  for  three  years.  He  discovered  a  method  of  retiniiiK 
the  brine  of  tlie  Salt  S))ring«  of  some  of  its  impurities,  which  was  deemed  valuable 
upoi>  the  Canhawa  river,  though  not  employed  to  any  great  extent  heie.  He  once 
sold  his  patent  for  Ohj  hundred  thousand  dollars,  though  wc  know  not  how  much 
lie  ever  realized  from  the  sale. 

"  Von  ISchoultz  is  esteemed  by  those  who  know  him,  as  a  gentleman,  a  man  of 
science,  a  brave  isQldier,  and  a  true  patriot.  He  engaged  in  this  exj)editioji,  becmsc 
he  was  told  that  it  was  in  the  cause  of  liberty.  Some  incidents  are  related  by  those 
who  have  witnessed  his  conduct  at  the  windmill  and  at  Prescott,  which  prove  him 
to  have  been  a  good  engineer,  a  skilful  commander,  and  a  man  of  the  most  fearless 
intrepidity.  Had  he  fallen  in  battle,  we  migiit  have  regretted  his  fate,  without  im- 
pugning its  justice ;  but  it  would  be  a  reproach  to  the  very  luune  of  Englishman, 
Ihrough  iUl  succeeding  time,  if  this  chivalrous  champion  of  freedom  should  be  made 
to  expiate  his  errors— if  errors  they  be — upon  a  scaffold." 


t,j^- 


M-  -1    (  : 


NOTE    5«IXTH. 


For  the  following  documents,  the  author  is  indebted  to  the  kindness  of  G.  M, 
Bucklin,  of  Carthage,  Jefferson  county. 


MH.    ABBEY   TO   HIS   SON. 


;.  ■  "  "ORT  Henry,  Tueiday  night,  Dec.  11,  1838. 

"  Arm  yourself  my  dear  boy  with  fortitude,  to  liear  the  sad  intelUgence,  that  ere 
these  lines  meet  your  eye,  I  am  numbered  with  the  dead.  My  zeal  in  the  cause  ol 
universal  freedom  has  eventually  cost  me  my  life.  But  let  it  be  remembered,  that 
the  unfortunate  expedition  I  was  engaged  in,  took  a  direction  contrary  to  my  views ; 
but  in  this  attair  you  can  laxe  no  interest  at  present,  or  at  any  other  time  further 
than  my  reputation  is  concerned  ;  time  will  develope  facts,  when  my  conduct  and 
intentions  will  be  known  and  ap]n'eciated. 

"  When  our  condition  became  liojmless,  I  could  have  taken  opportunity  to  have 
made  my  escajie  across  the  line,  l)ut  1  could  not  bear  the  thoughts  of  deserting  those 
brave,  and  many  of  them,  worthy  and  amiable  young  men  to  destruction  ;  Jife,  thus 
preserved,  would  not  be  worth  possessing. 

"In  relation  to  my  pecuniary  affairs,  you  must  be  fiequently  with  and  advise  with 
my  friends'  counsel,  and  also  with  Mr.  Wiley,  and  if  it  should  be  necessary  to  sell 
any  of  my  real  estate,  let  the  village  projierty  be  sold  if  possible. 

"  As  regards  yourself,  cultivate  your  mind,  associate  with  honorable  men,  aim  high 
and  let  all  your  motives  be  of  an  exalted  character;  and  now,  my  beloved  son,  I  bid 
you  adieu  for  ever. 

"  DORREPHUS  ABBEY.'* 

■    '  '-jf;-"-:'!'' ••>„,-'■'■'' '^ff'"-^--  ■,;:■•,■&„,  ^ " 


■it^i 


/ 


APPBNDIX. 


fl 


T-.v:m*4v;--     ,-:,  .n   -  ..        TO  r:s  DAUaHTERS.        ■ 'i  •!  Siy.m,f!>v\''f  •  ■-:     ^^")<^. 

"DMMtlMr  11,1638. 
'•  My  MAE  Dauohtkrs  : 

"  Many  severe  trials  have  awaited  you  from  your  earliest  childhood,  but  that  which 
you  have  now  to  endure,  will  require  all  your  firmness ;  you  are  now  left  without 
a  parent.  To-morrow  morning  closes  my  earthly  scenes.  You  have  to  bear  up 
under  the  most  trecie"''""*  cdeal  that  the  mind  of  female  sensibility  ever  endund. 
But  I  have  the  consolation  to  believe,  that  your  fortitude  is  equal  to  every  contin- 
gency aifd^^ent  of  human  life ;  without  the  exercise  of  such  sentiments,  existence 
would  scarcely  be  a  blessing.  I  leave  you  now  orphans  under  the  protection,  I 
trust,  of  my  relations  and  personal  friends.  I  particularly  commend  you  to  a  great 
friend  of  your  mother,  Mrs.  Woodruff.  Mr.  Wiley  will  no  doubt  take  much  inte- 
rest in  your  welfare.  I  write  from  a  glcomy  cell,  lying  upon  a  bed  of  straw ;  the 
guard  will  soon  call  for'the  light,  and  I  must  close.  Since  my  sentence,  I  could  not 
procure  materials  for  writing,  till  this  late  hour  of  my  existence,  which  have  just 
been  furnished  me  by  an  officer  of  the  garrison,  by  direction  of  the  sheritf.  Present 
me  kindly  to  kindred  aud  friends.  I  cannot  discriminate :  so  farewell,  my  dear 
children.  Your  affectionate  father, 

"DORREPHUS  ABBEY. 
<*  To  Amelia  Avqusta  and  Arabeliji  Abbey. 

"  I  slept  soimdly  and  quietly  last  night;  I  now  feel  as  though  I  could  meet  the  event 
vnth  composure.    The  guard  has  not  yet  called.  "  D.  A." 

"Fort  H«N»Y,  November  88, 1838. 

"My  dear  son: 

"  I  this  moment  received  your  letter  i.^  the  hands  of  the  sheriff.  I  am  in  want  of 
nothing  but  what  my  friends  at  Watertown  have  already  provided.  Tell  your  dear 
sisters  that  one  or  both  of  them  had  better  go  to  Oswego.  As  for  yourself,  take  good 
counsel.        ************ 

«'  Whatever  may  be  my  fate,  you  must  exercise  firmness  and  resignation  commen- 
surate to  the  trial ;  we  must  sooner  or  later  part ;  it  is  of  no  great  moment  when  and 
in  what  manner  I  take  my  exit.  If  my  life  is  sacrificed,  I  have  the  approbation  of 
an  approving  conscience,  having  been  governed  by  integrity  of  purpose.  Great  de- 
lusion has,  however,  been  entertained  in  relation  to  public  opinion  in  Canada.  They 
are  not  prepared  for  republican  institutions.  All  governments  should  conform  to  the 
genius  of  the  people. 

"  Your  aff«H;tionate  father, 

........  .     .        .  '"  DORREPHUS  ABBEY." 


From  Htekenzie'i  Journal  of  1838. 


Decimber  12, 1838.— DoBREPHus  Abbey  and  Daniel  George,  of  Watertown, 
New. York,  hung  at  Kingston  for  defending  American  freedom.  Captain  Abbey  left 
two  orphan  children;  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  a  printer  by  profession.  Mr. 
Southwick  says  he  employed  him  in  his  office,  that  he  was  an  excellent  workman, 
sober  and  correct  in  his  habits,  became  an  editor  of  a  journal  in  this  State,  was  fru- 
gal and  industrious,  enjoying  the  respect  of  society ;  brave,  sincere,  and  a  republican 
fnm  principii.  He  died  on  the  bame  scaffold  as  Von  Schoultz» «  martyr  to  tiie  canse 


# 


APraNDIX. 


of  '76.    His  blood  cries  for  vengMnee !  1 1 
a  sight  of  her  husband,  till  he  was  dead. 


It  ia  odd  that  Mrs.  Geoige  was  nfnied 


NOTE   SEVENTH. 


I' 


!  .,!  iH  ;:i;fc.>ii/i.?;*  ^fU  ini^i'i_m'j. 


DicEMBiR  10,  1838.  Execntion  of  Colonel  Martin  Woodruit,  at  Kingston 
He  vras  a  deputy  sherifT,  Salina,  Onondaga  county,  New- York.  His  enthusiasm  in 
favor  of  the  Canadians  was  boundlesn — he  came  to  Navy  Island,  with  aid  to  the 
Patriots — was  ready  to  serve  at  French  Creek  had  there  been  a  commander,  and  ex- 
hibited great  coolness  and  courage  at  the  windmill.  A  few  miUtia  officers  were 
collected,  who  ordered  him  to  execution.  The  Kingston  Spectator  thus  describes  the 
scene  of  his  murder,  of  which  Victoria  and  her  bloody  cabinet  heartily  approved. 
"  This  gallant  soldier  was,  about  sunrise,  brought  from  Fort  Henry  upon  a  rough 
carter's  train  or  sleigh,  attended  by  two  prieots.  encorted  by  a  party  of  volunteer  cav- 
alry, to  the  jail,  and  soon  after  to  the  door  leading  to  the  Kcaflbld,  when  the  sheriflT 
read  Arthur's  warrai.l  tc  execute  him ;  he  was  then  placed  on  the  platform,  the  cap 
pulled  over  his  face,  and  the  hangman  fastoned  the  rope  to  a  hook  in  the  beam  over 
head.  The  platform  fell  and  presented  a  revolting,  disgusting,  and  disgraceful  scene. 
The  knot,  instead  of  drawing  tight  under  his  ear,  was  brought  to  the  chin ;  it  did 
not  slip,  but  left  space  enough  to  put  a  hand  within  ;  the  chief  weight  of  the  body 
bearing  upon  the  rope  at  the  back  of  the  neck  The  body  was  in  great  agitation, 
and  seemed  to  suffer  greatly.  The  spectators  said  it  was  shameful  management ; 
when  two  hangmen  came  out,  endeavored  to  strangle  the  sufferer,  and  not  having 
succeeded,  they  returned  again  to  their  disgusting  work."  The  Port  Ontario  Aurora 
says:  "  his  neck  was  not  broken  til!  the  hangman  on  the  cross-tree  had  pulled  him 
up  by  the  collar  and  let  him  fall  four  times  in  succMsion.  After  this,  the  inhuman 
brute  struck  his  heels  several  times  into  the  breast  of  the  dying  man !  Shame  on  the 
civilized  barbarians  !  No  wonder  the  biped  blood-hoimds  are  hunted  by  the  aveng- 
ing assassin." 


NOTE    EIGHTH 


■  :.l:k 


.,.'■  ,.?, 


The  following  extracts  show  how  much  honor  Sir  Allan  MacNab  and  Captain 
Drew  deserve  from  Americans.  *         •    - 

"  The  steamboat  Caroline  took  out  a  license  at  Buffalo  as  a  ferryboat  for  passen- 
gers— sailed  i.o  Tonawanda — thence  to  Schlosser,  and  twice  between  it  and  Navy 
Island — Schlosser  contains  an  old  store-house  and  a  small  inn.  At  five  o'clock  in 
the  evening,  the  Caroline  was  moored  at  the  wharf — the  tavern  being  very  full,  a 
number  of  the  gentlemen  took  beds  in  the  boat — in  all,  about  thirty-three  persons 
slept  there.  A  watch  was  placed  on  dfick  at  eight  o'clock,  the  watchmen  unarmed 
— there  was  only  one  pocket-pistol  on  board,  and  no  powder;  at  midnight,  the 
Caroline  was  attacked  by  five  boats,  full  of  armed  men,  from  the  EngUsh  army  at 
Chippewa,  who  killed  (aa  themselves  oay)  six  men,  or  as  the  American  account  htif 


APPENDIX. 


it,  eltTen.  A  number  were  eeverely  wounded,  la  the  people  in  the  American  port 
could  make  no  renstance.  To  kill  them  wan,  therefore,  a  wanton  assaariination. 
The  cry  of  the  awailants  was, «  G — d  d — n  them — no  quarter — fire !  fire ! '  Amoa 
Dtirfee,  of  Buffalo,  was  found  dead  upon  the  dock,  a  muflket-bail  having  passed 
through  hia  head.  The  Caroline  Bailed  under  the  American  flag,  which  the  aasail- 
ante  took  to  Toronto,  and  displayed  at  annual  festivals,  in  honor  of  this  outrage. 
She  was  stt  in  a  blaze,  cut  adrift  and  sent  over  the  Falls  of  Niagara.  We  witnessed 
the  dreadful  scene  from  Navy  Island.  The  thrilling  cry  ran  around  that  there  were 
living  souls  on  board  ;  and  as  the  vessel,  wrapt  in  vivid  flame,  which  disclosed  her 
doom  as  it  shone  brightly  on  the  water,  was  hurrying  down  the  resistless  rapida  to 
the  tremendous  cataract,  the  thunder  of  which,  more  awfully  distinct  in  the  midnight 
stillness,  horrified  every  mind  with  the  presence  of  their  inevitable  fate ;  numbers 
caught,  in  fancy,  the  wails  of  dying  wretches,  hopelessly  perishing  by  the  double 
horrors  of  a  fate  v/hich  nothing  could  avert;  and  watched  with  agonized  attention 
the  flaming  mass,  till  it  was  hurried  over  the  Falls  to  be  crushed  in  everlasting  dark- 
ness in  the  unfathomed  tomb  of  waters  below.  Several  Canadians  who  left  the 
Island  in  the  Caroline  that  evening,  to  return  next  day,  have  not  since  been  heard 
of,  and  doubtless  were  among  the  murdered,  or  hid  on  board,  and  pe'  ished  with  the 
ill-fated  vessel.  Why  did  the  English  pass  Navy  Island,  in  Canada,  where  the 
Patriots  had  hoisted  their  flag,  and  waited  for  them,  and  attack  an  unarmed  boat  in 
New- York  State,  in  the  dead  of  night,  and  butcher  them  in  cold-blood!  Sir  Francis 
Head  planned,  oi-dered,  and  sanctioned  the  whole  ma.ssacre  ;  the  Queen  of  England, 
and  her  government,  approved  of  it  and  rewarded  the  villains.  Drew  is  raised  to 
the  rank  of  Captain  of  the  Royal  Navy,  and  commands  on  Lake  Erie ;  and  McNab 
is  knighted,  and  received  the  Royal  thanks.  ^  Sir  John  Colbome  is  also  created 
Lord  Seaton ! -CjO  .     ,  .  ..•  -  ,    ,  ,_    , 

"  McNab,  in  his  dispatches,  says :  '  1  was  informed  by  cUizens  from  Buffalo,  that 
the  Caroline  would  be  down  that  night.'  The  editor  of  the  Star  stated  that  he  un- 
derstood that  Doctor  Thomas  M.  Footc,  of  the  Commercial,  and  John  McLean,  ex- 
judge  of  Seneca  county,  were  that  night  McNab's  guests  in  his  camp.  Was  it  so  ? 
The  honorable  John  Elmsley,  Toronto,  a  member  of  Head's  Government,  attended 
the  anniversary  dinner  there,  in  honor  of  the  heroes  who  defeated  the  Yankees. 
lie  said :  '  After  a  desperate  engagement  of  some  minutes,  she  was  fired,  and  rode 
upon  the  waters  a  blazing  beacon  of  infamy  until  she  sunk  into  the  abyss  beneath,' 
(load  cheers.)  •  Gentlemen,  I  glory  in  having  been  one  of  those  who  destroyed  this 
boat.'  On  the  same  night,  {29th  December,  '38,)  says  the  Montreal  Herald, '  Colonel 
Holmes  and  the  officers  of  hia  brigade,  held  their  first  regimental  mess-dinner  at  Orr's 
hotel.  The  room  was  decorated  with  transparencies  of  her  majesty,  the  Duke  of 
Wellington,  Brittania,  the  steamer  CaroUne  in  flames,  descending  the  Fallj  of 
Niagara,  and  a  globe,  with  the  motto,  '  The  British  empire,  on  which  the  sun  never 
sets.'" 


I' 


i 


NOTE    NINTH. 


Tliis  extract  shows  that  the  Windsor  prisoners  had  about  as  bard  fate  as  our- 
selves— another  evidence  of  ferocity  of  English  tyrants : 

December  4,  1838.    Battle  of  Windsor. — The  refugees  and  their  friends,  one 
hundred  and  sixty-four  strong,  with  arms  for  fhfimselves  only,  borrow  a  steamboat 


90 


APPENDIX. 


and  croM  from  Dctroif  to  Windsor,  U.  C. ;  their  watchword  "  Remember  Prescott  !'• 
they  attack  the  barracks,  carry  and  bum^them ;  bum  a  British  steamboat ;  take 
twenty-five  prisoners,  touch  no  private  property ;  are  attacked  by  Colonel  Prince, 
the  militia,  and  a  party  of  regulars  from  Sandwich  ;  a  division  only  of  their  party 
engaged  in  the  dcfeiice,  and  fight  nobly ;  Colonel  Putnam,  a  Canadian,  nephew  of 
the  celebrated  G«neral  Putnam  of  the  American  Revolution,  is  killed ;  also  Major 
Harvcll,  a  gallant  Kentnrkyan,  and  Captain  Lewis;  the  patrottt  retreat ;  Nome  of  them 
taken  by  Prijice,  an  English  attorney  from  Cheltenham;  he  murders  four  of  hit 
prisoners,  without  trial,  several  hours  after  the  cnc;agement.  ills  letters  to  Airey 
said  that  "  of  the  brigands  and  pinites  twenty.one  were  killed,  besides  four  who  were 
brought  in  just  at  the  close  and  immediaielij  after  the  engagementy  all  1/  whom  I 
ordered  to  be  shot  upon  the  spot,  and  which  was  (foj. ..  accordingly.''^  Putnam  was  an 
America  bom,  fort}--iivc  years  of  age,  and  left  a  widow  and  eight  children  in  Canada. 
His  wife  iS  the  niece  of  General  Herkimer  He  wrapt  the  tri-colored  flag  rotmd  his 
mangled  body,  lay  down,  and  expired. 

Before  leaving  the  field,  Adjutant  Cliecsman,  of  the  2nd  Essex,  brought  up  a  pris- 
oner whom  he  had  taken.  He  surrendered  him  to  Colonel  Piince,  who  ordered  him 
to  be  immediately  shot  on  the  sjwt,  and  it  was  done.  The  man  was  first  shot  in  the 
shoulder,  and  severely  though  not  mortally  wounded;  a  second  shot  carried  away 
part  of  his  cheek ;  a  third  \  'ounded  him  in  the  neck,  after  which  he  was  bayoneted 
to  death  !  The  second  prisoner  (who  was  wounded,)  was  brought  into  the  town  of 
Sandwich,  at  least  two  hmirs  after  the  engagement,  and  was  ordered  to  be  shot  on  the 
spot.  It  was  proposed  to  give  him  "  a  run  for  his  life.'*  This  barbarous  proposi- 
tion was  acceded  to,  and  in  an  instant  a  dozen  mui^kets  were  levelled  for  his  execu- 
tion. At  this  moment  Colonel  WiUiajn  Elliott  exclaimed, '  D — n  you,  you  cotoardly 
rascals,  are  you  going  to  murder  your  prisoner?"  This  exclamation  for  one  instant 
retarded  the  fire  of  the  party,  but  in  the  next  the  prisoner  was  brought  to  the  ground ; 
he  sprang  again  to  his  feet  and  ran  round  the  corner  of  the  fence,  where  he  waa  met 
and  shot  through  the  head.  His  name  was  Bennett,  late  a  resident  in  the  London 
District.  Ifis  death  look  place  in  our  most  public  street,  and  in  the  presence  of  sev- 
eral ladies  and  children.  Another  prisoner  named  Dexnison,  also  wounded  and 
xmarmed,  taken  after  tlic  action,  wa"*  brought  in  during  the  morning.  Charles  Elliot, 
Esfj.,  who  was  present  when  Colonel  Prince  ordered  this  man  to  be  shot,  entreated 
that  he  might  be  reserved  to  be  dealt  with  according  to  the  laws  of  the  country;  but 
Colonel  Prince's  reply  was,  "  D — n  the  rascal,  shoot  him .'"  and  it  wa.s  done ! ! 
VVhen  Colonel  Piince  reached  Windsor,  he  was  informed  that  Stephen  Miller,  one 
of  the  Patriot*,  was  lying  wounded  at  the  house  of  Mr.  William  Johnston.  The 
man,  whose  leg  had  been  shattered  by  a  musket-ball,  had  been  found  by  Francois 
Baby,  Esq.  Colonel  Prince  gave  the  orders  for  his  execution,  and  he  was  dragged 
ou:  of  the  house  and  shot.  The  wounded  man  said  he  was  thirty-five  years  old, 
owiied  a  farm  in  the  town  of  Florence,  Huron  county,  State  of  Ohio,  and  he  had  a 
vife,  and  a  boy  about  twelve  years  old;  he  talked  about  his  wife  and  son,  and 
wished  that  his  wife  might  be  written  to.  Soon  alter  this  a  party  of  militia-men 
drai^gcd  him  out  of  the  house,  and  shot  him.  Miller  was  wounded  between  seven 
and  eight  in  the  morning,  and  was  shot  at  noon :  the  action  was  over  about  eight 
o'clock.  Miller  lay  unburied  all  night  in  the  street,  and  was  completely  disembow- 
elled, and  other  parts  of  him  eaten  by  the  hogs !  Captain  Broderick,  of  the  regulars, 
left  a  pri.soncr  in  charge  of  a  dragoon.  Prince  fell  in  with  this  prisoner,  ordered 
him  to  be  talxn  from  his  guard  and  shot,  which  was  done !  A  party  of  Indians 
who  were  sent  into  the  woods,  took  seven  prisoners.  Whtn  they  brought  them  out 
a  ciy  was  raised, "  bai/onet  them  /"  but  Martin,  one  of  the  IiuUan  braves,  replied, 


APPENDIX. 


•1 


•«  No,  w  are  Chri$tians  I  wt  mil  not  murder  them  /"  But  when  these  men  were 
delivered  to  Colonel  Prince,  ho  had  them  placed  in  a  wagon,  and  when  it  reached 
an  open  spot  opposite  the  barracks,  /w  commanded  ihem  to  be  taken  out  and  that  t 
On  this,  Mr.  Jamcn  cried,  "  For  God's  sake,  do  not  let  a  whilu  man  murder  those 
whom  an  Indian  spared !" 


These  aifidavits  exhibit  the  truth  of  the  above  statements  concermng  the  atrocities 
of  Windsor  .. ,  ,  ,        ,        ,.  ^. 

Upprn  Canada,     i   Tlie  deposition  of  William  Johnson,  of  Windsor,  township 

Western  District,  >   of  Sandwich,  said  District,  common  school  teacher,  taken  on 

To  wit :  )    oath  before  un,  Robert  Mercer,  Esq.,  and  Jamts  Do\igal!, 

£s<l.,  two  of  Her  Majeflty's  Justices  of  the  Peace  of  said  District,  this  22nd  of  Janu* 

ury,  1839 

This  deponent  saith,  that,  on  the  fourth  of  December,  1838,  the  day  of  the  battle 
of  Windsor,  after  the  action,  between  seven  and  eight  o'clock,  he  saw  a  man  lying 
woundp'i  i.i  the  orchard  of  Francis  Baby,  Vm\.,  of  Windsor.  The  wounded  man 
was  aftcrwaiu  carried  and  laid  down  in  this  deponent's  house,  by  order  of  the  said 
Francis  Biiby.  The  man  was  shot  through  the  leg  immediately  below  the  Viwt  \  it 
was  a  wretched  looking  wound,  and  bled  very  much.  Some  person  drensed  th« 
wound  and  bandxiged  it  to  stop  the  bleeding,  which  operation  this  deponent  witnessed. 
This  deponent  also  felt  the  man's  leg,  which  was  shattered,  and  he  could  distinctly 
hear  the  bones  crack.  W  hile  the  man  was  lying  in  deponent's  house,  a  person  came 
in  and  told  him  that  he  would  be  shot,  that  he  had  not  an  hour  to  live,  and  that  he 
bad  better  say  I'is  prayers.  The  wounded  man  then  informed  this  deponent  that  his 
name  was  Stepnen  Miller,  thai  he  was  thiity-five  years  old,  that  he  owned  a  farm  in 
the  town  of  Florence,  Huron  County,  State  of  Ohio,  and  that  he  had  a  wife  and  a 
boy  about  twelve  years  old ;  he  talked  about  his  wife  and  son,  and  requested  de- 
ponent to  write  to  his  wife,  directing  as  above,  near  Birmingham  post-office.  The 
said  Miller  also  entreated  deponent  to  see  Francis  Baby,  and  prevail  upon  that  gen- 
tleman to  intercede  for  his  life  for  two  or  three  days,  to  enable  him  to  see  his  wife ; 
this  deponent  accordingly  went  in  search  of  Mr.  Baby  but  could  not  find  him. 

This  deponent  further  states,  that  a  party  of  militia-men  afterward  came  and  drag- 
ged the  said  wounded  Miller  out  of  deponent's  house,  and  shot  him  in  the  open 
space  fronting  the  street,  about  twelve  feet  from  the  door  of  deponent's  house.  The 
said  Miller  was  wounded  between  seven  and  eight  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the 
action  aforesaid,  and  was  shot  about  twelve  o'clock,  noon :  the  said  action  was  over 
about  eight  o'clock.  The  said  Miller  lay  unburied  all  night  in  the  street  and  toai 
completely  disembotoelled,  and  other  parte  of  him  eaten  by  the  hogs ! ! 

„  .      ,  WILLIAM  JOHNSON. 


Western  District,    \    The  deposition  of  John  Gowan,  ©f  the  town  of  Sandwich, 
To  wit :  j    in  said  District,  gentleman,  taken  on  oath  &c.,  &c. 

This  deponent  has  read  the  foregoing  affidavit  of  William  Johnson,  respecting  the 
shooting  of  the  prisoner  Stephen  Miller,  taken  and  wounded  at  the  action  of  Wind- 
sor, the  fourth  of  December,  1838,  that  this  deponent  was  near  Colonel  Prince  who 
commanded  our  militia  on  that  day,  when  the  report  was  brought  to  Colonel  Prince 
that  the  said  Miller  was  lying  wounded  in  the  house  of  the  said  Job*-  jon ;  this  de- 
ponent heard  Colonel  Prince  give  the  order  to  shoot  the  said  prisoner, ,  'tephen  Miller, 
which  was  done  accordingly. 


91 


APPENDIX. 


Tliis  deponent  further  AtatcR,  that  ho  ww  o.i  the  fullowinfi;  day  th«  rairainfi  r>t 
Hud  Mllli^r,  lyinfi;  in  the  Mrcet  dif)embowell(!d,an(i  nhuckingly  mutilated  by  the  Uifi*. 

JOHN  COWAN. 

WrxiKr.N  District,     )    I,  rimrles  K,  Anderson,  of  Snndwich,  gentleman,  do  here- 
To  idl:  i    by  swi'ur  lli:il  I  havi'  read  the  loregoini^  affidnvit  of  Wil- 

liam JohiiBOM,  of  Windsor,  Buid  DiHfiicl,  respecting  the  MJiooiing  of  SiL-plien  Miller,  a 
wounded  prisoner  at  Windwii,  and  I  do  surar  that  Cvlimel  Primr  did  give  ihe  order 
to  shnl  the  wiid  >!tei»hcn  Miller,  \/hich  wa.<  done  arcordinp;!} .   't  was  I  who  reported 

the  f ircumHiiuii  e  to  Colontl  TiiiMje,  ^n4  Si'*'*^*' '"  '"'"  "' '''"  *^^^  ^""^  '''^*  ^^^  **"^ 
Miller  was  wounded. 


■it' 


■.,A  s  .'.       -. .  >.-? 


L'»'  ./iV 


,  »,*  iW  i  « 


-), 

CHARLEIS  £.  ANDERSON. 

iV/M. 

-/111.     v 

■       -        -■:v-^-    ■        V-     ,V--.,- 

i        ' 

..  n;  t 

NOTE    TENTH. 


January  4,  1839. — This  moining,  Christopher  Buckley,  of  Onondaga  county; 
Sylvester  A.  Lawton,  of  Hounatield,  Jetliirson  county;  Uussrll  Phelpe,  of  Water- 
town  ;  and  Duncan  Anderslon,  of  Pamelia,  New- York,  Prescott  prisoners,  gallant 
and  generous  men,  were  escorted  by  the  hireling  soldiers  of  England  from  Fort 
Henry  to  the  front  of  the  Court  House,  Kingston,  Upper  Canada,  and  butchered  in 
cold-blood,  in  the  midst  of  the  Canada  snows.  They  were  hung  two  at  a  time. 
Colonel  Dundas  and  his  officers  enjoying  the  scene.  In  the  evening,  there  was  a 
ball  and  great  rejoicings.  These  men  had  no  trial,  according  to  the  laws  of  Canada. 
Arthur  selected  some  twelve  or  fifteen  of  his  creatures,  militia  officers,  bade  them 
try,  and  sentence  the  Americans,  and  they  did  so,  without  judge  or  jury.  When 
will  these  horrid  murders  be  avenged  ? 

The  following  is  the  sentence  that  was  passed  upon  them  : 

"  That  you  and  each  of  you  be  taken  to  the  jail  from  ivhe7ice  you  came,  and  that 
on  the  4<A  day  of  the  present  month,  of  January,  you  and  each  (jf  you,  he  drawn  on 
a  hurdle  to  the  place  of  execution,  and  that  you  be  there  hamoxo  by  the  neck  until 
you  are  dead:  and  may  God  have  mercy  on  your  soult." 


We  were  on  Saturday  last  called  upon  by  old  Mr.  Lawton,  of  Lyme — the  be- 
reaved, sorrow-stricken  father  of  Sylvester  A.  Lawton — one  of  the  ill-fated  prisoners 
who  were  executed  at  Kingston,  (as  our  readers  will  recollect,)  on  the  4th  of  Janu- 
ary last.  The  old  gentleman  showed  us  two  letters,  written  by  his  son,  the  day 
before  his  execution,  of  very  similar  purport — one  of  which,  in  compliance  with  his 
request,  we  publish  below : 

•-•"•*''  '  "'-  "KiNoiTON,  Fort  Hsnrv,  January  3, 1839.     * 

"  Dkar  Parents  : 

"  I  now  take  my  pen  to  write  you  a  few  lines,  for  the  last  time.  Before  these 
few  lines  will  reach  you,  I  shall  be  no  more ;  but  I  do  earnestly  beg  and  beseech  of 
you  not  to  mourn  for  me  ;  but  to  feel  willing  to  submit  to  the  hand  of  God  and  re- 
joice with  me,  for  I  .ul  a  perfect  resignation  to  my  fate,  and  feel  willing  to  leave 


APFINDIX.  H 

vou  «ll  in  the  hand  of  God.  for  ho  in  uble  to  comfort  you.  Oh,  dear  lather  and  ino« 
»h«r,  do  not  repine  nor  murmur,  but  kel  |-crfcctly  willing  that  I  should  leave  this 
world  of  sill  and  wo,  vnd  r^  homo  to  .le»UH.  Oh,  tnut  you  could  feel  to  rejoice 
with  mc,  to  thinic  Ihiit  my  sotil  iH  so  near  tho  portals  of  ctcriuil  glory.  I  shall  soon 
leave  thi.i  wurltl  behind  uic,  with  all  itH  ulluring  vanities.  1  feel  to  exclaim  with  the 
A|)(i,',tle  Paul !  '  Oh !  IX'Htli,  whure  iM  thy  uting .'  Oli  I  Grave,  where  is  thy  victory  ?' 
i  have  selected  the  I'ilh  chapter  of  Tioverbs,  and  26th  vuiHe,  (I  think,)  for  my 
tiinerul  di.<u:ourHC-  ntili  li  i'4  thin:  '  There  i^  a  way  that  seemeth  light  unto  a  man, 
but  the  eitd  thereo  im^  tin  vvcys  of  death.'  1  should  liice,  if  convenient,  to  have  it 
preached  at  the  n  h;  il  huum;  jI  Chaumont,  by  Mr.  Whitman,  of  Indian  Ridge.  I 
also  want  him  to  itW  the  .Olst  Fsalm,  for  it  has  been  my  prayer  to  (iod.  1  hope 
that  my  death  A-ill  he  a  warning  to  all  Americans,  to  shun  not  only  evil,  but  every 
rippeararce  of  evil.  Tell  Mr.  Chapman  to  impress  upon  the  minds  of  all,  the  un- 
rcasona'ili-nt'ss  of  interfering  with  tho  atlairs  of  tho  people  of  Canada.  The  people 
ht;re  feel  lui  the  priHoners.  1  have  received  much  kindness,  and  better  treatment 
from  the  officers  of  this  pliu:e  than  I  had  reason  to  expect.  The  honorable  high 
sherifl  has  done  his  duty  as  an  officer  of  the  government  to  which  he  belongs— and 
has  treated  us  with  feelingi*  of  humanity  and  kindness,  for  which  he  deserves  the 
thanks  of  every  prisoner,  and  also  of  their  friends. 

"Give  my  love  to  all  the  people  of  that  vicinity.    Tell  them  that  I  remember 
them  in  my  prayers,  and  hope  to  meet  them  in  glory.        ***>»• 

"  Dear  parents,  1  send  you  my  love,  and  a  long  farewell,  hoping  to  meet  you  iii 
heaven,  where  there  will  be  no  more  separation. 
'»  Your  most  loving  and 
'-  '      -  "  Affectionate  Mu,  till  death, 

••  SYLVESTER  A.  LAWTON  " 


NOTE    ELEVENTH 


The  following  documents  place  sir  Qeorge  Arthur  in  no  very  enviable  light  before 
a  Christian  and  mercy-loving  people.  His  speech  to  his  parliament  is  siifficient  to 
condenm  him  in  the  eyes  of  all  honest  men. 

t .  From  thtt  Upper  Caaada  Ga»Ue,  Toronto,  February  97, 1830.  ,! 

SIR  GEORGE  ARTHUR'S  SPEECH  TO  HIS  PARLIAMENT. 

Honorable  Gentkmeti  of  the  Legislative  Council :  and,  OexUhmen  of  the  House  of 
Asssemblij :  .^  ,,,  .., 

The  internal  tranquillity  of  the  Province,  and  the  present  security  of  itd  frontier, 
enable  me,  after  a  recess  of  unusual  length,  to  meet  you  in  Provincial  Parliament. 
The  postponement  of  the  presH- ...  Session  las  been  induced  by  the  pressing  and 
paramount  duties,  in  which  many  of  you  have  been  engaged,  coimected  with  the  pub- 
lic defence,  and  the  administration  of  justice.  But  we  have  now  an  opportunity  to 
turn  our  attention  to  devisinji,  measures  for  the  peace,  welfare,  and  good  government 
of  the  colony,  free  from  the  paralyzing  suspicion  of  internal  treachery,  or  the  exas- 
>  perating  influence  of  foreign  aggressions;  and  upon  this  happy  result  of  tlis  zeal, 
constancy  and  bravery,  of  the  loyal  Upper  Canadian  people,  under  the  most  trying 
circumstances,  I  offer  you  my  hearty  congratulations. 


■ 


I  ! 


^ 


APPINMX. 


ThA  aifuation  of  thi*  rrnvinci*  is  po  novel  and  pf<!ulitir,  that  I  feel  called  Mpoa  to 
exceed  the  onlinftry  limits  of  ii  Mpeech  «?  'h»'  ojH-ninK  of  I'nrliiimfnt,  in  order  fo  review 
r«!cent  occurrcHceM,  nnd  to  tract'  eircrtN  to  their  cauM't*.  ua  »  guide  \o  preiMiit  and  futun» 
Irgihiation. 

Knglnnd,  at  pence  with  h1)  the  WJ)rUl,  find  rt'ljin^?  implicitly,  not  only  on  the  loy- 
alty ot  her  North  American  NubjcctM,  l>ui  on  the  faith  of  treutictt,  and  thr  exiHtence  of 
mo0t  frirndly  relatione  with  the  United  SiiitcH.  had  Krnduully  withdrawn  moAt  of  her 
troopH  from  thiit  ('ontinent. 

Kncourap'd  by  this  nbucnre  (»f  military  power,  the  diwontcntwl  in  Lower  Cana<ln, 
after  u  lon^  und  vexntiouH  pniliameniuiy  o])po.Hition,  and  tin  obhliniitc  rejection  of 
every  conciliatory  efTort  on  the  part  of  the  govcrnnient,  nt  lant  broke  out  into  open 
rebellion ;  and  incited  by  their  example,  the  diwdlected  in  thiM  province,  ronjuhn- 
tiullyriltfinff  on  afshtnnce  frmn  thf  nciffhborii^r /r(mtier,iU\i\  tiecure,  in  the  event  of 
failure,  of  finding  nn  asyhim  thne,  nindo  a  Huddeii  attempt  to  overthrow  thin  Gov- 
ernment, and  to  sever  the  CanndaB  from  the  I'arenI  iState. 

The  hopes  of  the  diHailecled  in  both  provinces,  however,  met  with  nignal  diaap- 
]x)intjncnt;  and  in  I'pyier  CaiiHila  particularly,  the  militia  wtiro  found,  not  only  equal 
to  the  immediate  HU])prett^ion  of  inmirrection,  but  u  portion  of  it8  force  from  the 
Eoiitorn  District,  whs  eiiable«l  to  march  into  Ixjwer  Canada,  to  as»iHt  in  overawing 
the  disposition  to  revolt  which  still  exiBted  there, 

Such  would  have  l)cen  the  end  of  rebellion  in  Upper  Canada,  hi«l  not  the  disaffec* 
tion,  which  grew  originally  out  oi  the  hojw  of  Foreign  interference,  continued  to 
.receive  life  and  support  from  the  «aine  source.  The  repose  gained  was  of  short 
continuance,  for  no  .nnoner  had  some  of  the  leading  traitors  escaped  across  the  boun" 
dary.  than  they  ass^-jciated  thcmstdves  with  a  number  of  the  border  population — 
robbed  the  public,  amenals  there — and  made  several  audacious,  hut  siifnally  unxuC" 
cexfful  attempts,  tn  invade  and  make  a  lodgment  on  British  territory. 

The  authorities  of  the  United  States,  having  had  ample  time  to  suppress  these  out- 
rages, our  militia  were  gradually  withdrawn  from  the  frontier,  and  were  in  'he 
course  of  being  disbanded,  when  it  was  discovered  that  a  body  of  foreigners  and 
traitors  had  secretly  introduced  themselves  into  the  province,  from  the  States  of  New 
York  and  Michigan.  Some  of  their  emissaries  were  dispatched  into  the  London 
District,  while  others  hoped  successfully  to  raise  the  standard  of  rebellion  in  the 
Niagara  District ;  but  the  attein|)t  was  suppressed  in  tiie  bud — the  militia  of  the  sur- 
rounding country  at  once  rushed  to  arms,  and  captured  such  of  the  banditti  us  did  not 
succeed  in  making  good  their  flight  to  the  American  shore. 

The  wanton  luid  violent  destruction  of  a  British  steamboat  within  American  waters, 
by  a  gang  of  ruffians  from  the  main-land  of  the  United  States,  previously  showed 
that  the  feeling  of  hostility  had  not  abated  on  the  frontier;  and  circumstances 
attended  that  outrage  which  indicated  that  it  proceeded  from  an  organized  body  of  ene- 
mies. GO-  This  suspicion  was  immediately  afterward  strengthened  by  information, 
taken  upon  oath,  detailing  the  secret  signs,  organisation  and  intentions,  of  the  society 
of  Patriot  Hunters ;  and  the  confessions  and  declarations  of  the  captive  foreigners 
and  traitors,  who  were  taken  in  the  Niagara  District,  corroborated  this  intelligence. 

But  notwithstanding  the  rea.suns  I  had  for  placing  confidence  in  this  information— 
OO'the  secrecy  observed  by  the  conspirators — the  extreme  wickedness  and  rashness 
of  the  proposed  measure— THE  SILENCE  OF  THE  FRONTIER  PRESS,  BE- 
FORE SO  CIAMOROUS-CiC— and  the  quiet  of  the  frontier  towns,  at  one  time  so 
agitated — were  well  calculated  to  cause  the  numbers  and  resources  of  the  conspirators 
to  be  underrated,  and  to  induce  a  belief  that  the  presumptuous  project  of  invading 
Canada  would  not  be  attempted. 


h- 


W- 


APPENDIX.  M 

After  a  thort  whil^,  however,  further  proof  wan  given  that  a  coiiepincy  wu  ac- 
tually organized,  and  tliat  the  comhinulinn  extcndeU  along  the  whole  Une  of  the 
(rontirr,  from  ea«l  tu  went.  I  thought,  however,  limt  the  iirrountA  brought  to  mo 
mtiHt  be  cxnggeruted  ■  nnd  that  the  partien  riamc<l  ns  brinr;  nrcnrnplicca,  eouM  never 
have  so  fur  comproiniwd  their  characters,  -m  to  have  countenanced  »uch  a  acbeme  ; 
iti\d  tlioitgh  nilcnlly  proceeding  to  make  nnnic  cMentiat  preparation!  for  defence,  [ 
still  did  not  entirely  rely  \i\H)n  the  ntntementn  which  were  at  that  time  made  to  the 
Government. 

But  us  the  information  I  continued  to  receive  became  more  minute,  and  proceeded 
fioiu  variouH  quarters,  I  could  no  longer  doubt  that  the  confederacy  comprised  a  body 
of  MANY  TIIOUSANf)  PERSON'S,  whost-  numbers  and  resources  were  daily  in- 
rro.'i.siii|r ;  nnd  what  constituted  the  most  revolting  nnd  alarming  feature  of  this 
odious  tra.iHactidii  wuh,  the  |K)Hitivc  declaration,  that  many  persons  of  wealth,  ortd 
NOT  A  FEW  PUBLIC  FUNCTIONA'MES  in  thr  frontier  cities  and  towns,  had 
intim.it»'ly  connectpd  themwlvi's  with  11118  CRIMINAL  ALLIANCE. 

Ah  the  crisis  iircw  nearer,  strungeiH,  without  oHtcnsiblc  businens,  nnd  under  various 
pretences,  were  discovered  to  be  Hcatlcred  throU|^h  the  Province.  It  was  ascertained 
that  consUmt  iiiKrcourfe  wan  kept  ii^  between  THE  LOfK/ES  OF  CONSPIRA- 
TORS IN  THE  UNITED  STATES,  and  their  lulhcrents  in  Canada  Tl\e  hopes 
of  the  dinnfliictid  appeared  Huddonly  to  revive.  Tin;  intellig«nc«;  from  various  qi.ir>r- 
ters  conveyed  to  thi.s  Clovernment  lipcam'  more  definitp,  showing  the  imnicdiat*! 
intention  ol  the  enemy  to  bo  THE  DlvSTRUCTION  OF  THE  BRITISH  STEAM- 
BOATS, and  the  K-iziiiff  by  Hurpriflc-  and  simultaneously,  .several  posts  within  the 
Canadian  boundaries,  wiiore  the  disloyal  might  rally  nrouml  the  invaders  assembled 
in  ani'R,  and  procure  reiinforccments  and  lupplies  from  the  United  Slates,  without 
the  iisk  of  any  collision  with  tiie  yVmerican  Authorities.  An  insuncction  in  the 
Lower  I'rovincc  was  to  l>e  the  signal  for  hostilities  all  along  tiia  Une. 

Under  thcho  circumstances,  I  look  dcciKive  measure."?  to  give  iinmediatc  confidence 
X<i  the  country,  and  to  insure  the  security  of  the  Province :  and  in  now  raeetir^  you, 
although  1  deeply  deplore  that  her  Majesty's  faithful  subjects  have  been  exposed  to 
the  greatortt  privations  and  hard.-^hips,  and  to  the  severei^t  domrnitic  injuries,  I  never- 
theless enjoy  the  sntisf.iction  of  believing,  t})at  owing  to  our  state  of  preparation  at 
every  point,  the  loss  of  raluable  lives  has  been  limited,  TFIE  MORAL  CIiARi\.C- 
TEli  of  the  jHiople  of  UpjKsr  Canada  strikingly  exhibited,  and  a  spirit  roused  through- 
out the  Province,  that  will  long  survive  passing  events,  and  greatly  tond  lo  tftc 
future  strength,  security,  and  tranquillity  of  the  country. 

After  all  the  preparations  that  were  so  many  months  in  progrees,  and  after  the 
expenditure  of  .such  large  sums  of  money,  voluntarily  contributed,  as  are  generally 
given  reluctantly  even  for  national  objects,  the  conspirators  nnd  revolutionists  were 
SO  ENTIRELY  OVERAWED  as  to  have  limited  their  operations  to  one  attack 
upon  our  frr-ntier,  near  Prcscolt,  and  to  another  in  the  Vicinity  of  Sandwich.  0^  Not 
a  subject  of  tier  Majesty  joined  them  after  their  landing  ;»W)  in  both  atlwnpts  they 
were  signally  defeated — and  the  result  was  the  destruction  or  capture  of  nearly  the 
whole  of  THE  lUNDITTL 

In  alluding  to  these  events,  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  praise  too  highly  the  gaUau- 
try  of  the  militia,  the  fidelity  and  prompt  services  of  THE  INDIAN  WARRIORS, 
and  the  patriotism  of  a  vast  majority  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  Province,  who  have 
conspicuously  vied  with  each  other  in  the  manifestation  of  a  devoted  attachment  to 
our  MOST  GRACIOUS  Sovereign  -of  an  ENTHUSIASTIC  affection  for  their 
country — and  of  deep  regard  for  their  revered  Constitution. 

Oar  graat  security  against  the  dangers  resulting  iron  a  tenbiaatioa  betwiMi  Um 
-, ;■•  -  -  B  '-    ■ 


I  J; 


APPENDIX. 


i 


disaffected  in  the  Province,  and  their  confederates  among  the  population  cf  the  con- 
tiguous country,  consistB  in  O'  OUR  HAPPY  UNION  j^]  with  'he  British  Empire. 
The  main  ioundation  of  the  hopes  or  discontented  persons  in  tliis  province,  and  of 
their  foreign  supporters,  has  been  a  mischievous  notion  industriously  propagated, 
that  England  wuld  desert  her  transatlantic  possessions  in  their  hour  of  difficulty  and 
danger — that  whenever  the  machinations  of  internal  traitors,  or  threats  of  external 
hostility,  might  render  the  protection  of  these  colonies  burthensome,  the  as-sistance 
of  the  mo:lier  country  would  Ix^  withdrawn,  and  their  loyal  inhabitants  left  alone  to 
support  a  most  unequal  conflict.  This  false  and  pernicious  opinion  has  given  en- 
coungenient  to  trea&on — influenced  the  coii  luct  of  the  wavering — excited  the  appre- 
hensions of  the  timid— anu  ?.\;n  put  to  a  severe  test  the  constancy  of  the  loyal  and 
reso'ute.  (Kf- IT  HAS  TURNED  THE  TIDE  OF  IMMIGRi.TION  FROM 
OVT.  SHORES  —transferreil  the  overflowings  of  British  capital  into  other  channelp — 
!inp:i'ncd  public  en  lit — depreciate.!  the  value  of  every  def<;i:ptio'i  (;f  property — imd 
i.i  5v  word,  has  ken  thft  prolific  wurce  of  nlmost  ali  our  public  cahmitif  •».  .gjQ 

Recent  even's,  however,  ij  -.vt  clearly  demonstrated  that  the  fidelity  of  tne  mass  of 
the  people  uf  tnis  proviiue  is  iiot  to  bi'  yhake'i  by  tlic  .:;cv>:;est  trials.  Experience 
ha.s  also  piovcd,  that  under  all  c;rcum.««taiices  you  may  contidently  rely  on  Ocjthe 
fooieinig  .aie-Ci}  of  the  Fnash  Empire:  and  1  hiwe  been  directn'  by  her  JVl.i.jepfy 
to  convey  10  3011  'lie  most  positive  assurances  of  HER  CONTIivJED  PROTEC- 
TION and  suppoii. 

At  ilit  suaie  time,  T  do  voi  wish  to  inp])lre  you  with  a  belief,  which  I  am  very  far 
Jroiii  cntertiiining,  ihat  {jcj- the  danger.s  with  Avhich  we  have  been  threatened  are  at 
an  enu...£if}  T'.ie  liopes  of  our  enemies  have  certtiiniy  been  greatly  humbled,  and 
their  .schemes  disconcerted,  by  the  failure  of  their  repeated  attempts  to  seduce  the 
Queen'.s  subjerts  fri'm  their  allegiance,  and  thus  16  ovoimn  'ivj  country  ;  hut  all  the 
motives  in  whieh  these  attempts  originated— TJiE  LOVK  OF  f  LUNDFC — an  avidity 
to  seize  our  fertile  lands,  and  AN  1MPATI1:NT  DESIRE  TO  EXTEND  RE- 
PUBLICAN INSTITUTIONS,  continue  to  operate  with  unabated  force,  v,hi!e  un- 
happily uowiUid  docper  impressions  have  since  been  .superadded.  Thai  men  agitined 
t)y  such  feeliiigs  will  remain  (^uiet,  loiiger  than  they  are  cons..riunea  by  fear,  is  not  tf» 
be  expected;  andwliilel  most  siiiceiely  desive  leconciliaiion,  .ir.Jl  conjxue  you  to 
promote  it  by  eveiy  lioiiorabie  means,  I  do  not  hesitate  lo  a^■'^Lli,  on  the  sure  ground 
of  experience,  ihac  UPON  OUR  OWN  ABILITY  TO  REPEL  AND  PUNISH 
HOS-^ILE  AGGRESSION,  WE  MUST  HENCEFORTH  CHIEFLY  DEPEND. 
Among  th.^  considerations  arising  from  this  impre-soion,  I  deem  it  advisable  to  invite 
your  early  and  serious  rttenlion  to  such  amendments  in  our  militiu  laws,  as  shall 
place  this  force  upon  the  best  possible  footing — efficient,  but  NOT  BURTHEN- 
SOME,  either  to  tlie  government,  or  to  the  people. 

One  of  my  ])rincipal  and  most  arduous  duties  has  been  the  disposal  of  the  NU- 
MEROUS CRIMINALS  who  have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  justice.  With  respect 
lo  such  of  the  Queen's  subjects  as  were  concerned  in  the  civil  commotions  during  last 
winter,  her  Majesty's  Government  have  uniformly  dcsiied  {)cr  merciful  administra- 
lion  430  of  the  law.  In  the  punishment  of  the  invaders  of  the  province,  I  have  acted 
upon  the  same  principle,  and  have  anxiously  endeavored  to  confine  capital  punish' 
meat  within  the  narrowest  limits,  which  a  due  regard  to  the  public  welfare  and  se- 
curity would  admit.  But  the  reiteration  of  unprovoked  injuries,  called  for  increased 
finnness  in  the  administration  of  justice,  and  forced  ujion  me  the  painful  necessity 
of  making  some  severe  examples. 

The  case  of  her  Majesty's  subjects  who  have  sufl'ered  in  their  persons  or  property, 
claims  your  early  attention.    The  wanton  destruction  of  the  steamboat  Sir  Robert 


& 


'-#' 


Il 


APPENDIX.  iV 

Peel— the  pillage  of  the  farms  on  Pointe  au  Pele  Island,  and  the  riv^r  St.  Clair— the 
rohberies  at  the  Short  Kills — the  damage  done  at  Prescott  and  Sandwich,  with  the 
burning  of  the  Thames  steamer,  form  together  an  aggregate  of  extensire  lose,  most 
serious  to  the  sutferers,  and  have  occasioned  earnest  application  for  relief. 

It  gives  me  Ute  greatest  pleasure  to  inform  you,  that  her  Majesty  has  been  most 
graciously  pleased  to  extend  to  the  woujided  officers,  non-commissioned  officers  and 
men,  of  the  Provincial  militia,  in  arms  since  the  insurrection  last  winter,  the  same 
liberal  provision  as  is  granted  to  her  Majesty's  regular  land  and  naval  forces :  and  to 
make  a  similar  beneficent  provision  for  the  widows  of  those  officers  in  the  Provin- 
cial corpse,  who  may  have  fallen  in  action. 


1  HAVE,  to  a  limited  extent,  EXERCISED  THE  POWER  vested  in  me  by  the 
suspension  of  the  Habeas  Corpus  Act.  In  doing  so,  I  have  proceeded  with  the 
greatest  caution,  and  with  a  sincere  desire,  that  no  restraint  might  be  imposed  on 
personal  liberty,  which  the  public  siifety  did  not  imperatively  demand. 

The  progress  which  tliis  beautiful  country  seems  destined  to  make  in  population 
and  wealth,  HAS  BEEN  MATERIALLY  OBSTRUCTED  by  the  difficulties  and 
dangers  with  which  it  has,  for  some  time  past,  been  surrounded. 

By  THE  GOODNESS  OF  AN  OVER-RULING  PROVIDENCE,  those  dangers 
have,  however,  in  i  great  degree  been  averted :  and  I  humbly  hope  that  THE  SAME 
ALMIGHTY  ARM.  WHICH  HAS  HITHERTO  PROTECTED  US,  will  soon 
place  Upper  Canada  in  sncli  a  state  of  tranquillity  and  .security,  as  will  pennit  the 
full  development  of  her  vast  natumi  resources. 

To  accelerate  tlic,  \iiiv;il  of  that  perioti,  and  in  cordial  conjunction  with  you  to 
promote,  by  wise  and  saluljiry  legislation,  the  prosperity  and  happiness  of  this  inter- 
esting colony,  will  he  tlie  objiict  of  my  earnest  desire,  and  unceasing  exertions. 

.      .'   •     ,      •  •  ■.     .  "Bbffalo,  Nov.  1843. 

"My  Dear  Sir:  ^  ;  -._,.■-  •.      •.-:..     • 

"  I  desire  to  assure  yeu,  that  I  fully  corroborate  all  you  say  in  the  manuscripts 
vou  rciid  to  me,  relative  to  the  Government  and  Island  of  Van  Dieman's  Land,  where 
^  resided  for  twelve  years.     I  was  very  perfectly  acquainted  with  the  administration 

of  Colonel  George  Arthur,  and  himself,  particularly.     Durmg governorship 

of  thirteen  years  in  Van  Dieman's  Land,  he  signed  the  death-warrants  oi  fifteen 
hundred  and  eight  persons,  only  eight  of  whom,  were  saved  from  the  guillotine  by 
being  sent  to  a  penal  settlement,  and  doomed  to  a  life  of  toil  in  irons,  fai'  wor.se  than 
death.  I  have  seen  nine  hanging  on  the  same  scaffold,  at  the  same  time,  and  four- 
teen in  one  week.  I  heard  Judge  Montague,  while  on  the  bench,  charging  a  mili- 
tary jury,  and  the  attorney  general,  E.  McDowal,  while  pleading  for  the  crown, 
say :  « That  any  number  of  witnesses  like  these,'  (such  as  were  then  giving  testi- 
mony,) '  could  be  procured  for  a  holtle  of  ruvi  and  half  a  crown  each,  to  bring 
home  to  any  person  in  the  colony,  any  crfme  that  might  be  laid  to  his  charge.'  I 
also  saw  natives  executed  after  having  undergone  a  mock  trial,  without  the  least 
consciousness  of  what  would  be  the  result  of  what  was  going  on.    %    *    *    * 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  b  , 
'  '       ^  '^  ■•      "  My  dear  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

'f-'^'T    -  ,'     ■    '^^  "JESSE  MORRELL." 

This  letter  was  addressed  to  Mr.  Benjamin  Wait,  whose  hjerpic  wile  shorteaed 
CUV  captivity. 

5* 


!  i 


68 


APPENDIX. 


The  succeeding  extract  speaks  in  volumes  of  the  tyranny  which  Arthur  invented 
to  torture  the  convicts  imd  prisoners  of  Van  Dieman's  I^nd.  No  wonder  that  his 
cannibalish  appetite  was  dissatisfied  with  a  governorship  in  North  America. 


Kiom  a  Review  of  the  British  Uoum  of  Cotnmona'  Iteport,  in  the  London  ijpeetator,  Aug.  S5. 

^       ?       ^       ^       5       ? 

"  The  punishments  of  convicts  for  crimes  committed  in  the  penal  colonies  are  horri- 
ble. In  1834,  one  thousand  persons  were  employed  in  the  chain-gangs  of  New 
South  Wales;  and  in  1837,  seven  hundred  in  those  of  Van  Diwnan's  Land.  Gov- 
ernor Arthiu-  said  that  this  just  punishment  was  'as  severe  a  one  as  could  be  inflicted 
on  man ;'  and  it  is  well  known  that  Sir  George  is  apt  to  believe  that  'man*  can 
endure  a  good  deal. 

"  They  are  locked  up  from  sunset  to  sunrise  in  the  caravans  or  boxes  used  for 
this  description  of  persons,  which  hold  from  twenty  to  twenty-eight  men,  but  in 
whit^  the  whole  number  can  neither  stand  upright  nor  sit  down  at  the  same  time, 
(e.vcept  with  theii  legs  at  right-angles  to  their  bodies,)  and  which,  in  «?omc  instances, 
do  not  allow  more  than  eighteen  inches  in  width  for  each  individual  to  lie  down  upon 
on  the  bare  boards.  They  are  kept  to  work  under  a  strict  military  guard  during  the 
day,  and  liable  to  suffcr  flagellation  for  trifling  offences,  such  as  an  exhibition  of 
obstinafiy,  insolence,  and  the  like.  Being  in  chains,  discipline  is  more  easily  pre- 
served among  them,  and  escape  more  easily  prevented  than  among  the  road  parties 
out  of  chains. 

"  ThE»  soldiers  employed  to  guard  these  chain-gangs  frequently  find  their  own  friends 
and  relations  among  them,  and  themselves  become  dnuikcn  and  vicious  in  the  extreme. 

For  crimes  of  the  greatest  magnitude,  not  punishable  by  death,  convicts  are  trans- 
ported to  Norfolk  Island,  Moreton  Bay,  and  Port  Arthur.  Port  Arthur  is  on  a 
small  and  barren  peninsula,  connected  with  Van  Dieman's  Land  by  a  narrow  strip 
of  land.  Norfolk  Island  is  a  beautiful  volcanic  island,  about  one  ihousind  miles 
from  the  eastern  shores  of  Australia,  imd,  except  in  one  place,  inaccessible  to  boats. 
Thii*  lovely  spot  has  been  converted  into  a  perfect  hell.  The  condition  of  the  con- 
victs is  one  of  unmitigated  wretchedness.  To  escape  from  it,  men  have  chopped  off 
the  heads  of  their  fellow-prisoners  with  hoes,  knowing  that  th?y  should  be  imme- 
diately sent  to  Sydney,  to  be  tried  and  hanged  !  Attempts  at  mutiny  have  not  been 
uncomraoii  at  Norfolk  Island.  In  1834,  the  mutineers  took  possession  of  the  Island, 
and  killed  some  of  the  guard ;  they  \vere  subsequently  overpowered,  and  eleven  were 
executed.  To  Judge  Barton,  who  tried  them,  one  of  these  men  obser^  ed,  in  a  man* 
ner  which  the  Judge  said  '  drew  tears  from  his  eyes  and  wrung  his  heart:' 

"  '  Let  a  man  be  what  he  will  when  he  comes  here,  he  is  soon  as  bad  as  the  rest : 
a  man's  heart  is  taken  from  him,  and  there  is  given  to  him  the  heart  of  a  least* 

"  At  Port  Arthur,  men  commit  murder,  "  in  order  to  enjoy  the  excitement  of  being 
sent  up  to  Hobart-town"  to  be  tried  and  executed.  Macquarrie  Harbor  (now  aban- 
doiied,)  was  a  penal  settlement  of  Van  Dieman's  I.and,  of  the  same  description  as 
Norfolk  Island  and  Port  Arthur ;  and  an  account  is  given  of  the  fate  of  the  convicts 
who  attempted  to  escape  from  it,  between  the  3rd  of  January,  1822,  and  the  1 6th 
of  May,  1827.  Of  one  hundred  and  sixteen  who  absconded,  s«venty-five  perished 
m  the  woods ;  one  was  lianged  for  murdering  and  eating  his  companion ;  two  were 
shot ;  eight  were  murdered,  and  six  eaten  by  their  comrades ;  twenty-four  escaped  to 
the  settled  districts ;  thirteen  were  hanged  for  bush-ranging,  and  two  for  murder ; 
making  altogether  one  hundred  and  one,  out  of  the  one  hundred  and  aixtew  who 
came  to  an  untimely  end.  '   '" 


*i 


'*  I 


APPENDIX. 


6d 


"On  the  whele,  the  committee  think  that  transportation,  though  so  very  v.naqual 
and  certain  a  punishment,  is  more  severe  than  the  accounts  sent  home  by  bett'ers  and 
criminala  would  lead  ill-informed  persons  to  suppose.  It  is  a  fact,  however,  that  in 
England  transportation  is  not  more  dreaded  than  simple  exile,  by  a  large  portion  of 
the  clai'iscs  whose  habits  and  crimes  render  them  more  likely  to  experience  its  reali- 
ties, it  is  more  feared  in  the  country  than  in  Ix)ndon,  where  it  ijispires  little  appre- 
hension." 

The  above  sketch,  slight  and  faint  compared  to  what  is  to  be  found  in  the  report 
and  evidence,  will  give  some  idea  of  the  state  of  tlie  convict  population  exclusively. 
Let  us  now  turn  to  the  condition  of  society  generally  in  the  penal  colonies  of  Aus- 
tmlia. 

"  Or.  this  head,  criminal  stati.stics  furnish  appalling  facts.  In  Van  Dieman's  Land, 
in  18?  7,  the  convicts  were  18,000,  and  the  free  population  28,000;  and  the  number 
of  persons  brought  before  the  police  amounted  to  17,000.  One-seventh  of  the  popu- 
lation wer«  fined  for  drxmkennesd.  In  New  South  Wales,  the  number  of  convictions 
for  highway  robbery  alone  exceeds  the  total  numl)er  of  convictions  for  all  manner  of 
offences  in  England,  taking  the  difTerence  of  population  into  account.  Kapes,  mur- 
der, and  attempts  at  murder,  are  as  common  in  New  South  Wales,  as  i)etty  larcenies 
in  England. 

"  In  short,  in  order  fo  give  an  idea  of  the  amount  of  crime  in  New  South  Wales, 
let  it  be  supposed  that  the  17,000  ofTenders  who  last  year  were  tried  and  convicted 
in  this  country  of  various  offences,  before  the  several  courts  of  assize  and  quarter- 
.'*ession.s,  had  all  of  them  been  condemned  for  capital  crimes ;  that  7,000  of  them 
Imd  been  e.vccuted,  and  the  remainder  ticjisportcd  for  life  ;  that,  in  addition,  70,000 
other  offenders  had  been  convicted  of  the  minor  offences  of  forgery,  sheep-stealing, 
afid  the  like;  then,  in  proportion  to  their  respective  populations,  the  state  of  crime 
nnd  punishment  in  England  and  her  Australian  colonies  would  have  been  precisely 
the  same. 

"  Burglaries  and  robberies  are  committed  in  Sydney  in  the  middle  of  the  day.  The 
drunkenness,  idleness,  and  carelessness  of  a  large  portion  of  the  population,  and 
the  "want  of  coirtinuity  in  the  buildings  affording  easy  access  to  the  backs  of  shops 
and  houses,  and  the  means  of  escaping  from  the  police,  give  great  facilities  to  plun. 
derers.  And  even  when  offenders  are  taken,  they  aie  generally  tried  by  juries  com- 
posed chiefly  of  emancipist  shop-keepers.  The  quantity  of  spirits  annually  con- 
sumed in  New  South  Wales  amounts  to  four  gallons  a-head.  In  Sydney,  with  a 
free  population  of  sixteen  thousand,  there  were,  in  1836,  two  hundred  and  nineteen 
licensed  public  houses,  and  an  inunense  number  of  unlicensed  spirit-shops.  These 
tippling  places  were  kept  and  frequented  by  the  most  abandoned  wretches. 

"  The  disproportions  of  the  sexes  occasions  crimes,  which,  to  quote  the  words  of 
Captain  Maconochic,  '  make  the  blood  curdle.'  Even  the  young  children  of  re- 
spectable setlcrs  have  been  made  the  victims  of  tmmentionable  atrocities.  It  is  im. 
possible  to  convey  any  idea  of  the  horrors  which  the  wilneeaes  before  the  committee 
shuddered  to  disclose : 

*'  All  that  defies  the  worst  tliat  pen  expreaeet," 

18  let  loose  in  Van  Dieman's  Land. 

"And  this  amount  of  sin  and  misery  is  annually  increased  by  the  direct  operation 
of  the  1".W8  of  England,  framed  forsooth,  for  the  punishment  and  prevention  of  crime ! 
The  philanthropists,  who  rail  at  American  slavery,  should  turn  their  attention  to 
Van  Dieman's  Land.  The  vice  and  wretchedness  produced  by  negro  slavery,  are 
absolutely,  of  ■mall  account  when  contrasted  with  the  atrocitieB  of  the  transportation 
syBtem!"  


¥ 


'.f* 


,1 


70 


APPENDIX. 


These  extracts,  t«ken  from  papers  published  in  Vaa  Dicman's  Land,  show  how 
very  popular,  and  in  what  estimation  he  was  held  in  by  the  people  of  the  islaad — 
this  must  be  hia  true  character  after  a  twelve  years  trial. 


i    ' 


\r% 


From  the  Trampater. 

Glorious  News  ! — At  length  the  happy  intelligence  has  arrived  of  the  removal  of 
the  most  unpopular  governor  that  ever  ruled  a  British  colony.  Yes,  reader,  Colonel 
Arthur  is  ordered  home,  and  must  this  time  obey  tire  orders  he  has  received  from  the 
Secretary  of  State  !  wt 

The  downcast  looks  which  formerly  accompanied  the  greetings  ni  the  streets  have 
disappeared,  and  the  happy,  the  glorious  intelligence  has  to  all  appearances  made 
people  ten  years  younger. 

The  colonists,  to  a  man,  rejoice— a  splendid  dinner  is  to  be  given  on  Thursday 
week,  to  commemorate  the  happy  day  on  which  the  glorious  news  anived — A 
GRAND  ILLUMINATION  will  also  be  held  the  same  evening,  and  fireworks  of 
all  deticnptioiis  will  be  most  profusely  let  off  in  honor  of  Uie  occasion. 

A  public  meeting  is  also  to  be  called,  iu  order  to  fiame  a  petition  to  his  Majesty, 
to  thank  him  for  his  kindness  in  listening  to  the  prayers  of  the  people-~that  Colonel 
A)  thur  should  be  recalled !     j :.,;  v;:'v  »«'  i^i'-'v  i 

Colonel  Arthur  is  at  last  posl  lively  recalled — the  official  notice  reached  him  by  the 
Elplinslone  prison  ship,  on  Tuesday.     His  successor  in  not  named. 

Never  has  it  fallen  to  our  lot  to  communicate  to  our  readers  such  welcome  intel- 
Ijpi  nee  as  they  find  this  day  in  our  Jirst  (,hort  b  ader.  It  is  wuh  feelings  ot  joy  and 
bjiioere  thanklnlness,  that  we  heard  the  joyful  news  brought  by  the  good  ship 
Elphhnione,  on  Tuesday.  We  will  teach  our  little!  djics  to  remember  while  they 
live,  and  to  i.avh  their  chiiuren  to  know  the  name  of  the  ship  that  gladdened  the 
hear'  <ji'  many  a  desponding  parent  with  the  tidings,  tj'.at  the  cause  ef  their  misery 
and  sufli'riiig,  the  evil  genhn  </  the  colony,  was  at  kttglh  ordered  to  repair  to  :he 
presence  of  his  sovereign,  to  answer  the  load  q^  charges  preferred  against  him,  by 
some  of  the  unhappy  ckdms  of  his  oppression  during  the  last  twelve  years.  Thi.^ 
day  will  indeed  be  a  happy  jubilee  and  rejoicing  throughout  this  island,  for  to-day 
will  the  glad  tidings  have  reached  all  its  inhabitants.  We  will  relate  the  particulars 
as  we  have  collected  them. 


:.i  i,-: 


■7;r 


From  the  True  Coloniit.     li^y^-  <"» 


A  pubUc  meeting  will  immediately  be  called  to  thank  the  king,  for  having  at 
length  had  mercy  on  his  poor  afflicted  subjects  in  this  colony,  and  to  present  a  true 
address  to  Colonel  Arthur  from  the  colonists.  It  is  proposed  to  have  an  illumina- 
tion on  Monday,  with  a  bonfire  and  fireworks  at  the  Battery  Point.  He  will  he 
wafted  from  these  shores  with  the  sighs,  the  groans,  and  the  curses  of  many  a 
broken-hearted  parent,  and  many  a  destitute  child,  which  owe  their  misery  to  the 
foolish  and  wicked  system  of  mis-government,  by  which  the  colony  has  been 
ruined.  He  found  the  colony  rapidly  rising  to  wealth  and  respectability — he  ha.s 
left  it  sunk  in  debt  and  misery.  He  has  neglected  the  useful  roads,  and  ruined  the 
agricultural  interest — he  icas  the  father  of  usury,  the  patron  of  hypocrisy,  falsehood, 
and  deceit — the  protector  of  perjury — and  the  rewarder  of  perjurers.  His  system, 
and  the  example  of  his  Government  has  destroyed  all  confidence  between  man  and 
man,  and  sapped  the  very  foimdation  of  society  and  morals.  His  name  will  long  be 
remembered  with  detestation  and  horror  by  thousands  of  the  wretched  victims  of  his 
system.  ' 


'  how 


APPENDIX. 


From  u  Plaoaid  poated  in  LouuMitown. 


71 


To'tnorrow  «ngJu  to  be  a  day  of  General  Thanksgiving  for  the  deliverance  from 
the  iron  hand  of  Ooventor  Arthur.  We  have  now  a  pvaspect  of  breathing.  TJie 
accursed  gang  of  bloodsuckers  will  be  destroyed.  Boys  will  be  seen  no  more  upon 
police  benches,  to  insult  lesjioctable  men.  Perjury  will  cease  to  be  countenanced, 
and  a  gang  of  felons  will  no  longer  be  permitted  to  violate  the  laws  of  civilized 


c  « 


From  the  Launeettown  AdvertiMr. 


Throughout  the  whole  period  of  his  government,  the  military  have  been  placed  in 
too protninent  a  position.  Lieutenants  and  ensigns,  fresh  from  the  frolics  of  Chatham, 
have  been  turned  into  justiccH  of  the  peace ;  and  the  whole  administration  of  the 
colony  has  been  pipe-clayed  into  a  service  of  an  lunphibious,  half-military,  half- 
civil  complexion. 


From  the  True  Colonist. 

It  was  with  feelings  of  the  most  sincere  satisfaction,  wc  announced  in  our  last 
number  the  arrival  of  the  "good  ship"  Elphinstone,  from  England,  bringing  tlie 
very  jii-ntifying  intelligence  of  the  recall  of  Colonel  George  Arthur,  after  an  admin. a- 
Iralioii  of  twelve  years;  during  the  whole  of  which  long  period,  the  people  have 
been  rendered  wretched,  unhaj.'py,  discontented,  and  miserable,  by  the  misrule  of  his 
Government. 

Such  was  the  extraordinary  demand  for  Bent's  News,  of  Saturday  last,  in  con- 
sequence vi  the  intense  an.viely  of  tlie  people  tc  obtain  an  atrount  of  the  recall  cf 
Colonel  Arthur,  tliat  we  have,  with  infinite  pleasure,  been  obliged  to  print  u  seconii 
edition,  and  had  not  the  pubhcation  of  our  journal  been  unusuadly  latp,  owing  to  the 
drunkenness  nf  our  printers,  occasioned  too  by  the  recall  of  so  unpopular  a  governor, 
uur  httlc,  though  popular  News  Register,  would  have  still  met  with  a  more  exten- 
sive sale  by  many  hundreds. 

We  otfer  no  apology  in  presenting  our  readers  with  the  several  acoounta  from 
every  newspaper  pubhshed  on  the  island — whatever  may  be  their  principles,  either 
Government  or  Official — Opposition  or  Independent — of  the  recall  of  Colonel  Arthur. 


m 


'..,.,  From  tlie  Colonial  Timet. 

Governor  ARTHtJR's  Recall!!  Oh!  Glorious  News ! ! — It  was  \vl.h  the  ut- 
most satisfaction  that  the  inhabitants  of  Hobart  Town  welcomed  the  happy  intelli- 
gence publicly  made  known  on  Wednesday  last,  that  Colonel  Arthur  is  forthwith  to 
be  removed  from  this  Government.  ******** 

A  worse  Briti.sh  governor  never  ruled  during  the  present  century.  *        *        t 

No  sooner  had  the  recall  of  Colonel  Arthur  become  pubhc,  than,  agreeable  to  his 
system,  his  friends  were  ordered  to  "get  up  an  address."  It  mattered  not  of  what 
nature  the  address  was,  but  something  or  other  must  be  done  to  send  to  the  secretaiy 
of  state,  in  order  to  show  how  very  much  he  was  beloved.  At  first,  a  general  ad- 
dress was  tried,  but  it  proved  a  total  failure !  Mrs.  Pedder  wrote  out  a  very  fair 
one,  which  Mr.  Pedder  signed  and  sent  to  the  colonial  treasurer,  to  gc  round  in  his 
carriage,  and  get  as  many  signatures  to  it  as  he  could  I    Of  course,  the  weight  and 


11 


im 


APPENDIX. 


influence  of  the  paymaster  was  sufficient  to  command  the  signatures  of  some,  others 
were  in  duty  bound  obliged  to  sign,  having  enriched  themselves  under  Colonel  Ar- 
thur's  government.  By  degrees,  it  became  necessary  to  confine  the  address  entirely 
to  the  Government  officers,  and  after  very — very  numerous  positive  refusals  to  attach 
names  to  such  a  documaU,  it  made  its  sorry  appearance  with  the  sorry  number  of 
thirty-four ! 

The  whole  colony  seems  in  motion ;  the  smallest  township  in  the  interior  appears 
quite  animated,  and  but  one  feeling  alone  prevails,  and  that  is  delight  that  the  ruler 
who  brought  this  colony  from  wealth  to  poverty,  from  abundance  to  famine,  is  about 
to  depart.  Few  people  care  who  the  successor  may  be,  bo  that  he  be  an  honest  man 
— a  worse  governor  than  Colonel  Arthur  cannot  be,  or  one  that  toould  allow  such  a 
ruinous  system  to  prevail !  It  is  lamentable,  liowever,  to  think  of  the  fate  of  those 
colonists  alreaily  sacrificed,  and  Colonel  Arthur,  were  he  made  to  disgorge  all  his 
wealth,  would  make  no  reparation,  worth  notice,  to  the  people  whom  he  has  ren. 
dered  almost  dcatitute  of  food  ! 


NOTE    TWELFTH 


Among  all  the  phenomena  which  occasionally  dispel  the  monotony  of  a  voyage 
to  the  IndicH,  I  class  th»  scenery  of  the  setting  sun  on  the  tropical  ocean,  as  surpass- 
ing, in  sublimity  and  grandeur  of  imagery,  all  others.  But  while  teeming  in  its 
richness  of  light  and  shade,  and  irresistibly  enchaining  the  eyes  and  imagination  of 
tho  traveller  by  its  gorgeous  and  fantastic  changes; — the  experienced  mariner  takes 
those  glimpses  of  atmospherical  pantomime  as  preludes  of  danger  before  the  torna- 
does and  hurricanes,  which  at  periods  devastate  the  tropical  regions ;  and  fails  not 
to  make  si)eedy  preparation  for  a  recurrence  of  those  sudden  tempests  which  they 
too  often  betoken.  The  mariners,  leaning  over  the  ship,  (says  St.  Pierre,  in  his 
studies  of  Nature,)  admire  in  silence  these  aerial  landscapes.  Sometimes  the  sub- 
lime spectacle  presents  itself  to  them  at  the  hour  of  prayer,  and  seems  to  invite  them 
to  lift  up  their  hearts  and  their  voices  to  Heaven.  It  changes  its  appearance  every 
mstant:  what  was  just  now  luminous,  becomes,  in  a  manner,  colored  simply;  and 
what  is  now  colored  will  be,  by  and  by,  in  the  shade.  The  forma  are  as  impressive 
as  the  shades.  They  arc  by  turns,  islands,  hamlets,  isles  clothed  with  the  palm- 
trees,  vast  bridges  stretching  over  rivers,  fields  of  gold,  amethysts  and  rubies — or 
rather  something  more  than  all  these — they  are  celestial  colors  and  forms  which  no 
pencil  can  pretend  to  imitate,  and  which  no  language  can  describe. 


NOTE   THIRTEENTH 


The  following  is  cut  from  the  "  London  Gazette,"  showing  the  mildness  and 
magnanimity  manifested  toward  American  officials : 
•f  ..      "  The  fact  is,  the  whole  tribe  of  officials,  from  the  servile  President  up  to  the  most 

;.  ragged  of  the  mob  sovereigns,  hare  aeted  a  part  of  the  basect  duplicity,  and  don* 


APPENDIX. 


73 


everything  in  tlieir  power  to  succor  villainy  from  retributive  justice.  With  the  fair- 
est promises  of  protection  from  American  invasion,  we  have  again  and  again  been 
attacked  by  their  hordett  of  unpunished  scoundrels.  VVc  have  apitealed  to  them  in 
vain — fair  words  are  all  we  get.  We  havn  demanded  pimlahment  of  the  aggressors, 
but  it  is  left  undone.  They  are  protected  and  cherishtJ.  Van  Buren  has  lied  for 
them — aiarcy  has  lied  for  them — Generals  »Scott,  Worth,  and  Wo«j1  have  lied  for 
them — the  district  attorneys  have  all  lied  for  them — and  the  whole  host  of  journalists 
throughout  the  broad  Union  have  done  nothing  but  utter  falsehood  upon  falsehood  to 
screen  a  band  of  vagabonds,  who,  not  content  with  violating  their  own  laws,  must 
attempt  to  trample  upon  those  of  a  neighboring  and  friendly  country.  Richly  does 
tlie  United  States  deserve  the  fate  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  as  it  has  already  their 
ubominutions. 


I 


\f 


V  NOTE   FOURTEENTH. 

Th£  iollowing  lines  express  beautifully  the  death  of  Natta|;9— luid  the  poet 
ddubtlees  ielt  hia  subject :        ,, 


Vii. 


'H-J. 


DEATH    OF    AN    EXILE. 


i '. .         "1;  '"  '>       Thou  ort  gone  to  the  gravt,  and  there 't  nont  to  deplori  (Aa 
No  kindrad  fiiendi  around  thy  daiolate  tomb, 
' '  '      \  '-'  ""' -      No  voice  but  the  winds,  chant  a  icquiem  o'er  thee, 

;  i    , '>  ',  I j'l  V     !-«:  No  efitafh poinU  to  (A«  ExM*  loit  hom$ I  ,'* ' 

Thou  art  gone  to  the  grave — to  tliy  laiit  earthly  pillow  ; 
Thy  wrong!,  poor  foriaken,  were  known  but  to  thee ; 
'l  '    sPr  u^ .  '  t'/      No  r  ■»•  art  thou  toned  on  life'i  troubled  billow ; 
Vtft.-i  the  cold  bloita  of  lonow,  thy  apirit  i*  free. 

Tbou  art  gone  to  the  grave,  and  all  silent  and  lonely, 
■  •'       .:'-':'"■-■■  The  star  of  thy  being  hath  melted  away, 

And  friendship's  last  tear  cannot  even  bemoan  thee, 
Unkown,  and  unwept,  thou  art  gone  to  decay 

V  .  ,>,"Jir  i .;  1  i.       xhou  art  gone  to  the  grave,  poor  unfortunate  stranger, 
u    ::.'v;C>^     •>!;  v  Thy  sorrowing  boiom's  last  sigh  had  been  given  ; 

Thou  art  gone  to  the  exile's  lost  refiige  from  danger, 
And  O,  may  rich  treasures  await  thee  in  heaven. 


Thrice  happy  thou  art,  poor,  forsaken,  and  lone. 
If  thou  wert  prepared  thy  last  summons  to  hear, 

While  the  dust  sweetly  sleeps  in  the  mouldering  tomb, 
Thy  spirit  awakes  in  a  far  brighter  sphere 

Farewell !  when  the  light  o'er  yon  azure  ocean, 
BhaU  fade,  my  vision  no  more  to  illume. 

Oh !  may  I  but  join  thy  lapt  spirit's  devetioa, 
Wh«n  glory  flnrieiw*  thy  hMvenly  home 


-<**- 


•  '■■■'iJi 


"* 


l!i 


74 


APPENDIX. 


!  «i'  !  Friiin  an  Inii«rUul  Account  of  the  Civil  War  iu  tb«  ContdU)  London,  1898. 

?  ?  5y  ^  ?j[  § 

THE  DECLARATION  OF  THE  REFORMERS  OF  THE  CITY 

OF  TORONTO  TO  THEIR  FELLOW-REFORMERS 

IN  UPPER  CANADA. 

Tlie  time  liax  arrived,  niWr  nearly  half  a  century'ti  forbearance  under  increa«ing 
iiiid  figmvated  misrule,  wh^'ii  the  duty  wc  owe  our  country  and  pottterity  requireu 
from  U8  the  asnertiou  of  our  rights  and  the  redret>s  of  our  wrongs. 

(lovernirtrnt  i^4  foiimlod  on  the  authority  luid  is  inatituted  for  the  benefit  of  a  peo- 
l)Ie  ;  when,  therefore,  any  (jovornment  long  luid  Hystematically  ceases  to  answer  the 
great  cndf*  of  itH  foijndation,  tlie  people  have  a  natural  right  given  thym  by  their  Crc- 
:ilor  to  wi'k  iilti»r  and  establish  such  institulioud  as  will  yield  the  greutest  quantity 
of  iiappiness  to  the  greatest  number. 

Our  forbearance  heretofore  has  only  been  rewarded  with  an  aggravation  of  our 
grievances ;  and  our  past  inattention  to  our  rights  has  been  ungenerously  and  im- 
justly  urged  :is  evidence  of  the  suiTender  of  them.  We  have  now  to  choose  on  the 
one  hand,  betw^een  submission  to  the  same  blighted  policy  us  hath  dvsolated  Ireland, 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  the  ]>atriotic  achievement  of  cheap,  honest,  and  responsible 
government. 

The  right  was  conceded  to  the  present  United  States  at  the  close  of  a  successful 
revolution,  to  form  a  constitution  for  themselves ;  and  the  loyalists,  with  their 
descendants  and  others  now  peopling  this  portion  of  America,  oie  entitled  to  the 
same  liberty  without  the  sheddiiig  of  blood — more  they  do  not  ask;  less  they  ought 
not  to  have.  But,  while  the  revolution  of  the  former  has  been  rewarded  with  a 
consecutive  prosperity  tmexiimpled  in  the  liistory  of  the  world,  the  loyal  valor  of  the 
latter  alone  remains  amid  the  blight  of  misgovemment  to  tell  them  what  they  might 
have  been,  as  the  not  less  valiant  sons  of  American  Independence.  Sir  Franeis  Head 
has  too  truly  portrayed  our  country  "  as  standing  in  the  flouriahing  continent  of 
North  America  like  a  girdled  tree  with  its  drooping  branches."  But  the  laws  of 
nature  do  not,  and  tho^c  of  man  ought  no  longer  to  exhibit  this  invidious  and  humil- 
iating comparison. 

The  affairs  of  this  coi  ntry  have  been  ever,  against  the  spirit  of  the  Constitutional 
Act,  subjected  in  the  moit  injurious  manner  to  the  interferences  and  interdictions  of  a 
succession  oi  colonial  mi  listers  in  England  who  have  never  visited  the  country,  and 
who  can  never  possibly  Mcome  acquainted  with  the  state  of  partieii,  or  the  conduct 
of  public  functionaries,  except  through  official  channels  in  the  province,  which  are 
ill  calculated  to  convey  information  necessary  to  disclose  official  d(?Unquencie8,  and 
correct  public  abuses.  A  painful  experience  haa  proved  how  impnicticable  it  is  for 
such  a  succession  of  strangers  beneficially  to  direct  and  control  the  affairs  of  a  people 
four  thousand  miles  off;  and  being  an  iRip^acticable  system,  felt  to  be  intolerable  by 
those  whose  good  it  was  professedly  intended,  it  ought  to  1/e  abolished,  and  the 
domestic  institutions  of  the  province  so  improved  and  administered  by  the  local 
authorities  as  to  render  the  people  happy  and  contented.  Tne  system  of  baneful 
domination  has  been  uniformly  furthered  by  a  Lieutenant-Governor  sont  among  us  as 
an  uninformed,  unsympathi/ing  stranger,  who,  like  Sir  Francis,  has  not  a  single  feel- 
ing in  common  with  the  people,  and  whose  hopes  and  responsibilities  begin  and  end 
in  Downing-street.    And  this  baneful  domination  is  further  cherished  by  a  legislative 


i 


Al-PBNDIX. 


w 


couneQ  not  elected,  and,  therefore  ineitpoiitibfo  to  the  people  for  whom  they  legis* 
lat'9,  but  appointed  by  the  ever-changing  colonial  ininifltei'  for  life,  f  oin  peneioner<4 
on  the  bounty  of  the  crown,  orfjcial  dependent*,  and  neeily  expectant*). 

Under  thio  modcery  of  human  government  wc  have  ken  insulted,  injured,  and  re- 
duced to  the  brink  of  ruin.  The  due  influence  and  purity  of  nil  out  inBlitulione;  havo 
bcuu  utterly  destroyed.  Our  governorH  nre  the  mere  infitrument-i  for  ellecting  doiiiina- 
tion  from  L)owning'Street ;  legislative  couaciUoru  have  been  intimidated  into  executive 
compliance,  as  in  the  cuso  of  the  late  Chief  Justice  I'owell,  Mr.  Baby,  and  otheru; 
the  executive  council  has  been  stript  of  every  shadow  of  responsibility  nad  of  every 
shade  of  duty ;  the  freedom  and  purity  of  elections  have  lately  received,  under  Sir 
Francis  Heiul,  a  final  and  irretrievable  blow ;  our  revenue  has  been  and  Mill  is  de- 
cieasing  to  such  au  extent,  as  to  render  heavy  additional  taxation  indispeiisiible  for 
the  payment  of  the  interesi  of  our  public  debt,  incurred  by  a  system  of  iiu pi  evident 
and  prothgate  expenditure,  our  public  lundj,  although  a  chief  uourcc  ol  wealth  to  a 
ticw  country,  have  been  sold  at  alow  valuation  to  speculating  companies  in  Ix)ndon, 
and  rosold  to  the  settler.s  at  very  advanced  rates,  the  excess  being  remitted  to  fc^ngland, 
to  the  serious  impoverishment  of  the  country;  the  ministers  of  religion  have  been 
corrupted  by  the  prostitution  of  the  casual  and  territorial  revenue,  to  salary  and  in- 
fluence.them  ;  our  clergy  reserves,  instead  of  being  devoted  to  the  purposes  of  general 
education,  though  so  much  needed  and  loudly  demanded,  have  been  in  part  sold,  to 
the  amount  of  upward  of  three  hundred  thousand  dollars,  paid  into  the  military 
chest,  and  sent  to  England ;  numerous  rectories  have  been  established,  against  the 
almost  unanimous  wishes  oi  the  people,  with  certain  exclusive  ecclesiastical  spiritual 
rights  and  privileges,  according  to  the  established  Church  of  England,  to  the  destruc- 
tion of  equal  religious  rights ;  public  salaries,  pensions,  and  sinecures,  have  been 
augmented  in  number  and  amount,  notwithstanding  the  impoverishment  of  our 
revenue  and  country ;  and  the  parliament  has,  under  the  name  of  arrearages,  paid 
the  retrenchments  made  in  past  years  by  reform  parhaments ;  our  judges  have,  in 
spite  of  our  condition,  been  doubled,  and  wholly  selected  from  the  most  violent  po- 
litical partisans  against  our  equal  civil  and  religious  liberties ;  and  a  court  of  chancery 
suddenly  adopted  by  a  subservient  parliament,  against  the  long-cherished  expectations 
of  the  people  against  it,  and  its  operation  fearfully  extended  into  the  past,  so  as  to 
jeopardize  every  title  and  transaction  from  the  beginning  of  the  province  to  >he  pres- 
ent time.  A  law  has  been  passed  enabling  magistrates,  appointed  during  pleasure, 
at  the  representation  of  a  grand  jury  selected  by  a  sheriff'  holding  office  during  plea- 
sure, to  tax  the  people  at  pleasure,  without  their  previous  knowledge  or  consent, 
upon  all  their  rateable  property,  to  build  and  support  workhouses  for  the  refuge  of 
the  paupers  invited  by  Sir  Francis  from  the  parishes  in  Great  Britain ;  thus  unjustly 
and  wickedly  laying  the  foundation  of  a  system  which  must  result  in  taxation,  pes- 
tilence, and  famine.  Public  loans  have  been  authorized  by  improvident  legislation 
to  nearly  eight  millions  of  dollars,  the  surest  way  to  make  the  people  both  poor  and 
dependent ;  the  parliament,  subservient  to  Sir  Francis  Head's  blighting  administration, 
has,  by  an  unconstitutional  act,  sanctioned  by  him,  prolonged  their  duration  after  the 
demise  of  the  Crown,  thereby  evading  their  present  responsibihty  to  the  people,  de- 
privinff  them  «f  the  exercise  of  their  elective  franchise  on  the  present  occasion,  and 
extending  the  peiiod  of  their  unjust,  unconstitutional  and  ruinous  legislation  with  Sir 
Francis  Head ;  our  best  and  most  worthy  citizens  have  been  dismissed  from  the 
bench  of  justice,  from  the  militia  and  other  stations  of  honor  and  usefulness,  for  ex- 
ercising their  rights  as  freemen  and  atteniiing:  public  meetings  for  the  regeneration  of 
our  condition,  as  instanced  in  the  cases  of  Doctor  Baldwin,  Messrs.  Scatchard,  John- 
son, Small,  Ridout,  and  others ;  those  of  our  fellow-subjects  who  go  to  England  to 


1 


I, 


7« 


AlPPEimiX 


represent  our  deplorable  comlition,  are  denied  a  hearing  by  a  partial,  unjust,  and  op- 
presfiive  government,  whilft  the  authorn  and  promoters  of  our  wrongs  are  cordially 
and  gnicioiialy  received,  and  enliHtcd  in  tlin  cause  of  our  further  wrongs  and  mis- 
povprninpnt;  our  public  revenues  are  plundered  and  misapplied  withotit  rodrcHS,  and 
•inavallahlc  wicuriden  make  up  fbe  late  defalcation  of  Mr.  P.  Robinson,  the  com- 
1.  ^ioner  of  public  landH,  to  the  amount  of  eighty  thousajid  dollars.  Interdictn  are 
continually  nent  by  the  colonial  miniwter  to  the  governor,  and  by  the  governor  to  the 
provincial  parliament,  to  restrain  und  render  futile  their  legiMJation,  which  ought  to 
be  free  aiul  unshackled ;  these  instructions,  if  favorable  to  the  views  and  policy  of 
llic  eneinioH  of  our  country,  are  rigidly  obtierved;  if  favorable  to  public  liberty,  they 
at,  a.s  ni  the  case  of  ihlarl  Ripon'i  dispatch,  utterly  contemned,  even  to  the  poitsing 
of  the  evcr-to-bc-remembrred  and  detestable  everlasting  salary  Bill ;  I/)rd  Glcnclg 
hiiH  sanctioned,  in  the  king's  nam<*,  all  the  violations  of  truth  and  of  the  constitution 
by  Sir  Franris  Head,  and  both  thanked  and  title  1  him  for  conduct,  which,  under  any 
civilized  goverr    ent,  would  be  tht'  ground  of  impeachment. 

The  British  government,  by  tliemiielves  and  through  the  Legislative  council  of 
their  appointment,  have  refused  their  assent  to  laws  the  most  wholesome  and  neces- 
sary for  the  public  good,  among  which  we  may  enumerate  the  intestate  estate  equal 
distribution  bill ;  the  bill  to  sell  the  clergy  reserves  for  educational  purposes ; 
the  bill  to  remove  the  corrupt  influence  of  the  executive  in  the  choosing  of  juries, 
ana  to  secure  a  fair,  free  trial  by  jury ;  the  seveml  bills  to  encourage  emigration 
from  foreign  parts;  the  bills  to  secure  the  independence  of  the  Assembly;  the 
bill  to  amend  the  law  of  libel ;  the  bill  to  appoint  commisttioners  to  meet  others 
appointed  by  Lower  Canada,  to  treat  on  matters  of  trade  and  other  matters  of  deep 
interest ;  the  bills  to  extend  the  blessings  of  education  to  the  humbler  classes  in  every 
township,  and  to  appropriate  annually  a  sum  of  money  for  the  purpose  ;  the  bill  to 
dispose  of  the  school  lands  in  aid  of  education ;  sf  <  --al  bills  for  the  improvement  of 
the  highway .'4 ;  the  bill  to  secure  independence  to  rs,  by  establishing  the  vote  by 
ballot ;  the  bill  for  the  better  regulation  of  elections  oi  members  of  the  Assembly,  and 
to  provide  that  they  be  I.  j.d  at  places  convenient  for  the  people;  the  bills  for  the 
relief  of  Quakers,  Menonists  and  Tankers ;  the  bill  to  amend  the  present  oonoxious 
court  ol  reiiuest  laws,  by  allowing  the  people  to  choose  the  commissioners,  and  to 
have  a  trial  by  jury  if  denired;  with  other  bills  to  improve  the  administration  of  jus- 
tice and  diminish  unnecessary  coHts ;  the  bill  to  amend  the  charter  o'  King's  College 
University,  .so  as  to  remove  its  partial  and  arbitrary  system  of  government  and  edu- 
cation ;  and  the  bill  to  allow  free  competition  in  banking. 

The  king  of  England  has  forbidden  his  governors  to  pass  laws  of  immediate  and 
pressing  importance,  unless  suspended  in  their  operation  till  his  assent  should  be 
obtained ;  and  when  so  suspended,  he  has  utterly  neglected  to  attend  to  them.  He 
has  interfered  with  the  freedom  of  elections,  and  appointed  elections  to  be  held  at 
places  dangerous,  inconvenient,  and  unsafe  for  the  people  to  asemble  at,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  f<itiguing  them  iato  his  measures,  through  th«  agency  of  pretended  represeut- 
utives ;  and  has,  through  his  Legislative  Council,  prevented  provision  being  made 
for  quiet  and  peaceable  elections,  as  in  the  case  of  the  late  returns  at  Beverly. 

He  has  dissolved  the  late  House  of  Assembly,  for  opposing  with  manly  firmness 
Sir  Francis  Head's  invasion  on  the  rights  of  the  people  to  a  wholesome  control 
over  the  revenue,  and  for  insisting  that  the  persons  conducting  the  government  should 
lie  responsible  for  their  official  conduct  to  the  country,  through  its  representatives. 

He  has  endeavored  to  prevent  the  peopling  of  this  province  and  its  advancement  iu 
wealth ;  for  that  purpose  obstructing  the  laws  for  the  naturalization  of  foreigners, 
refusing  to  \msii  otliers  to  encourage  their  migration  hither,  and  raising  the  conditions 


APPENDIX, 


77 


of  neM*  appropriationn  of  the  public  landn,  large  tracts  of  which  he  has  bestowed 
upon  unworthy  persons,  his  favorites,  while  (icncrring  settlers  from  Germany,  and 
other  countries,  have  been  used  cruelly. 

He  has  rendered  the  administration  of  Justice  liable  to  nuHpicion  and  distrust,  by 
obstructing  laws  fur  establishing  a  fair  trial  by  Jury ;  by  refusing  to  exclude  the 
chief  criminal  judge  from  interfering  in  political  businpHH,  and  by  selecting  as  the 
jiidicinry  violent  and  notorious  partisans  of  bis  arbitrary  power. 

He  has  sent  a  standing  ntmy  into  the  sister  Province,  to  coerce  them  to  his  unlaw- 
lul  and  unconsiitutional  measures,  in  o))en  violation  of  their  riG;ht»  and  lilxTties,  and 
has  received  with  marks  of  high  approbation  military  officers  who  interfered  with 
the  citi/rns  of  Montreal,  in  the  midst  of  an  election  of  their  representatives,  and 
brought  the  troops  to  coerce  them,  who  shot  several  persons  deiwl  wantonly,  in  the 
public  streets. 

Considering  the  great  num1)er  of  lucrative  appointments  held  by  strangers  to  the 
country,  whose  chief  merit  appears  to  be  their  subserviency  to  any  and  every  ad- 
ministration, we  mny  say  with  our  brother  colonists  of  old  :  "  He  has  sent  hither 
swarms  of  new  officers  to  harass  our  people  and  eat  out  their  substance." 

The  English  Parliament  have  intc.fored  with  our  internal  affairs  and  regulations, 
by  the  passage  of  grievous  and  tyrannical  enactments,  for  taxing  vis  heavily  without 
our  consent,  for  prohibiting  us  to  purchase  manj-  articles  of  the  first  importance  at 
the  cheapest  European  or  American  markets,  aind  compelling  us  to  buy  such  goods 
and  merchandise  at  an  exorbitant  price,  in  markets  of  which  England  has  a  monopoly. 

They  have  passed  resolutions  for  our  coercion,  of  a  character  so  cruel  and  arbi- 
trary, that  Lord  Chancellor  Brougham  has  recorded  on  the  Journals  of  the  Hotise  of 
Peers,  that  "  they  set  all  considerations  of  sound  policy,  of  generosity,  and  of  justice 
at  defiance,"  are  wholly  subversive  of  "  the  fundamental  principle  of  the  British 
Constitution,  that  no  part  of  the  taxes  levied  on  the  people  shall  be  applied  to  any 
purpose  whatever,  without  the  consent  of  the  representatives  in  Parliament,"  and 
that  the  Canadian  "  precedent  of  1837,  will  ever  af;'er  be  cited  in  the  support  of  such 
oppressive  proceedings,  as  often  as  the  Commons  of  any  Colony  may  withhold  sup- 
plies, how  justifiable  soever  their  refusal  may  be ;"  and  (adds  his  lordship)  "  those 
proceedings,  so  closely  resembling  the  fatal  measures  that  severed  the  United  States 
from  Great  Britain,  have  their  origin  in  principles,  and  derive  their  support  from 
reasonings,  which  form  a  prodigious  contrast  to  the  whole  grounds,  and  the  only 
defence,  of  the  policy  during  latter  years,  and  so  ju.stly  and  so  wisely  sanctioned  by 
the  Imperial  Parliament,  in  administering  the  affairs  of  the  mother  country.  Nor  is 
it  easy  to  inrtagine  that  the  inhabitants  of  either  the  American  or  the  European 
branches  of  the  empire  should  contemplate  so  strange  a  contrast,  without  drawing 
inferences  therefrom  discreditable  to  the  character  of  the  legislature,  and  injurious  to 
the  future  safety  of  the  state,  when  they  mark  with  what  different  measures  we 
mete  to  six  hundred  thousand  inhabitants  of  a  remote  Province,  unrepresented  in 
Parliament,  and  to  six  millions  of  our  fellow  citizens  neater  home,  and  making 
themselves  heard  by  their  representatives,  the  reflection  will  assuredly  ari.se  in  Can- 
ada, and  may  possibly  find  its  way  into  Ireland,  that  the  sacred  rules  of  justice,  the 
most  worthy  feelings  of  national  generosity,  and  the  soundest  principles  of  enlight- 
ened policy,  may  be  appealed  to  in  vain,  if  the  demands  of  the  suitor  be  not  also 
supported  by  personal  interests,  and  party  views,  and  political  fears,  among  those 
whose  aid  he  seeks ;  while  all  men  perceiving  that  many  persons  have  found  them- 
selves at  liberty  to  hold  a  course  toward  an  important  but  remote  province,  %\  hich 
their  constituents  never  would  suffer  to  be  pursued  toward  the  most  inconsiderable 
burgh  of  the  United  Kingdom,  as  impression  will  inevitably  be  propagated  moat 


v^ 


n 


APPENDIX. 


(lnnf»ronii  to  the  miiintmiAnM  of  colonial  dominioii,  that  the  people  cun  never  Mfely 
intrtiMt  the  powerii  of  (iovernment  to  any  nu|irt>me  authority  nut  rcsiUini;  umong 
thi-mwlvi'f"." 

In  I'very  Ntafl;e  of  them  proree(iing;i>t,  we  have,  petitioned  for  redrem  in  the  moet 
hiimbln  terms :  our  repetitpd  pftitionn  hnvc  hreii  aiiHwered  only  by  repented  injuncn. 
Nor  hnve  we  been  wanting  in  attention  to  our  HritiBh  bretliren.  We  have  warned 
thcni  from  time  to  time  of  attemptA  by  their  leginlature  to  extend  an  unwarrantable 
juriwiiction  over  us.  We  have  reminded  them  of  the  circuuiHlanceH  of  oui  emigra- 
tion and  M>tt!ement  here,  we  hnve  appealed  to  their  native  juHtuc  and  magnanimity, 
and  we  have  conjured  thorn,  by  the  tie^  ot  our  common  kindred,  to  diNUVow  these 
iisurpntiono  which  would  inevitably  interrupt  uur  connection  and  correspondence. 
They  too  have  been  denf  to  the  voice  of  juHtica  and  conMinguinity. 

We,  therefore,  the  |{pformcr«  of  the  City  of  Toronto,  Hyrnpathizing  with  our  /ellow- 
citizens  here  and  throughout  the  North  Americiin  Colonies,  who  desire  to  obtain 
cheap,  honest,  and  responsible  government,  the  want  of  which  Iioa  been  the  source 
of  all  their  past  grievances,  as  its  continuance  would  lead  to  their  utter  ruin  and 
desolation,  are  of  opinion, 

1.  That  the  warmest  thanks  and  admiration  are  due  from  the  Keformersof  Upper 
Canada  to  the  honorable  Louis  Joseph  Pupinsau,  Kwj.,  Jj'peuker  of  the  House  of 
Assembly  of  Lower  Canada,  and  his  compatriots  in  and  out  of  the  Legislature,  for 
their  past  uniform,  manly,  and  noble  independence,  in  favor  of  civil  and  religious 
li))erty ;  and  for  their  present  devoted,  honorable  and  patriotic  opposition  to  the  at- 
tempt of  the  British  Government  to  violate  their  constitution  without  their  consent, 
subvert  the  powers  and  privileges  of  their  local  parliament,  and  overawe  them  by 
coercive  measures  into  adisfraceful  abandonment  of  their  just  and  rea.sonable  wishes. 
2.  And  that  the  Reformers  of  Upper  Canada  are  called  upon  by  every  tie  of  /eel- 
ing,  interest,  and  duty,  to  make  common  cause  with  their  fellow-citi/ens  of  Lower 
Canada,  whose  successful  coercion  would  doubtless  be  in  time  visited  u|)on  us,  and  the 
redress  of  whose  grievances  would  be  the  best  guarantee  for  the  redress  of  our  own. 
To  render  this  cooperation  the  more  etiectual,  we  earnestly  recommend  to  our 
fellow  citizens  that  they  exert  themselves  to  organize  political  associations;  that 
public  meetings  be  held  throughout  the  province;  and  that  a  convention  of  delegates 
be  elected,  and  assembled  at  Toronto,  to  take  into  consideration  the  political  con- 
dition of  Upper  Canada,  with  authority  to  its  members  to  appoint  commissioners  to 
meet  others  to  be  named  on  behalf  of  Lower  Canada  and  any  of  tha  other  colonies, 
armed  with  suitable  powers  as  a  Congress,  to  seek  an  elTectual  remedy  for  the  griev- 
ances of  the  colonies. 

T.  D.  MORRISON,  Chairman  of  Committee.  '^ 

,,     .     ,■     .  JOHN  ELLIOT,  Secretary. 

'■  Committee.  ' 


"  David  Gibson, 
'  John  Mackintosh, 
Wii.UAM  J.  O'Grady 
Edward  Wright, 
Robert  McKay, 
Thomas  ELLioTt, 
E.  B.  Gilbert, 
John  Monjgomert 


John  Edward  Tims, 
James  H.  Price, 
John  Doel, 
M.  Reynolds, 
James  Armstrong, 
James  Hunter,         ^' 
John  Armstrong, 
William  Ketchum, 
William  L.  Mackinzie. 


,r  ». 


I  ;r 


giasp 

interf] 

the  ej 

whici 

seek] 

the 


^ 


APPENDIX. 


Tt 


Tht  kindntM  of  hMTt  whieh  the  venerable  Thomta  CConnnr  hu  iihibited  in  Die 
follnwinff  Midrem  lo  thfl  hnniane.  on  twhalf  of  mifferinK  innocence  in  Canmln,  la 
worthy  of  an  Iriih  patriot  and  mitterer  for  liberty  in  the  inrmorabto  i79N.  We  hope 
it  will  be  Anponded  lo.  It  ie  also  pleaaing  to  nee  the  excellent  Dr.  M'Nevin  amona; 
the  foremont  friend*  of  the  injured  CanadianH.  Thfw>  ^rt'ut  ,iiul  f^onti  men  have  not 
forgotten  their  own  and  their  friendn'  NutferingH  forty  yrarn  ago,  in  the  like  cauac 
iigaiiiKt  the  «imo  opprenaor.  Had  the  rare  who  witnewned  the  revolution  of  1776  not 
punned  uway,  the  patriotH  of  the  norih  would  not  now  he  Inokrd  on  by  the  nuthori- 
tifft  of  VVaMhington  and  New-York  with  u  dietruet  and  sHtpicion  which  outvies  the 
hatred  of  their  Hritinh  tyranta : 


TO    THE    HUMANE. 


.4  '  i\ 


An  cflbrt  haa  been  made  in  f'anada  to  introduce  into  that  country  an  altered  foim 
of  govcrnnwnt;  the  people  rcsolvtHi  to  shake  ofl'  their  colonial  clmrncter,  and  have 
nHpired  to  the  rank  of  a  nation.  Ah  not  unfrcqucnt  in  mich  cusch,  the  early  eflbrtn 
have  been  dlBustrous.  Inexperienced,  imperfectly  organized,  inii)ert'ectly  armed,  and 
cut  off  from  reinforcements,  victory  to  the  patriots  was  nearly  impoHsible.  The 
chivalrous  band  which  dared  to  oppose  itself  to  a  disciplined  enemy  of  more  than  three 
times  its  number,  possessing  still  greater  advantage  in  the  materiel  of  war,  must, 
whether  we  approve  or  disapprove  its  motive,  command  the  admiration  due  to  intre- 
pid valor.  If  history  prove  faithful,  justice  will  be  done  by  posterity  to  the  memory 
of  these  avaunt  asserters  of  liberty,  the  forlorn-hope  of  a  people  resolved  to  he  free. 
An  investigation  of  the  prudence  or  imprudence  of  the  outbreak  in  Canaila,  belongs 
solely  to  the  Canadians  themselves.  The  consideiation  whether,  if  successful,  it 
would  produce  good  or  evil,  is  exclusively  their  province.  There  is  but  one  point, 
in  which  it  can  lie  legitimately  viewed  by  those  not  immodialely  involved  in  the  con- 
sequences :  the  people  of  Canada  had  a  right  to  assume  self-government,  whenever 
they  deemed  themselves  capable  to  exercise  and  maintain  it.  With  their  calculations 
or  miscalculations,  others  have  no  proper  concern.  A  denial  of  this  principle  would 
be  a  virtual  arraignment  of  the  motives  of  Washington,  Franklin,  Hancock,  Jeffer- 
son, Lafayette,  Montgomery,  Jackson,  and  other  sages,  soldiers,  and  statesmen  of 
the  American  revolution ;  it  would  be  a  strewment  of  the  graves  of  the  dead  with 
contumely  and  reproach,  a  direction  of  the  finger  of  contempt  and  scorn  toward  the 
few  survivors  of  the  immortal  band  who  yet  linger  in  a  land  they  saved  by  their 
labor,  and  moistened  by  their  blood. 

The  patriots  have  been  defeated.  Fire,  sword,  and  pillage,  have  marked  the  track 
of  an  unsparing  conqueror ;  the  families  of  the  captured,  the  wounded,  and  the  slain, 
many  of  the  wounded  themselves,  and  others  whose  habitations  lay  in  the  path  of 
the  vanquished,  and  were  plundered  and  destroyed,  have  sought  refuge  within  the 
United  States.  In  a  northern  climate,  in  the  commencement  of  winter,  they  are 
without  house  or  home,  except  such  as  sympathizing  hospitality  tenders;  without 
food  or  clothing,  except  the  little  of  the  latter  wliich  they  snatched  away  from  the 
grasp  of  the  robber.  Neutrality  may  be  an  incumbent  duty,  but  it  has  its  limits;  it 
interferes  not  with  the  good  offices  of  humanity,  it  blunts  not  the  heart,  it  forbids  not 
the  extension  of  our  charities.  To  relieve  the  poor  and  the  distressed  is  a  holy  work, 
which  no  human  power  has  a  right  to  control.  As  one  of  a  committee  appointed  to 
seek  relief  for  the  suffering  Canadians,  I  will  gladly  receive,  personally,  or  through 
the  post-office,  any  contributiona  that  may  be  oiTered  through  me,  and  will  place  it 


} 


APPENDIX. 


in  the  proper  channel  of  hansmiMsion.  1  am  unable  to  undergo  the  exerUon  of 
much  walkinR.  owing  to  my  advanced  age,  and  muBt  offer  this  aa  my  apologyfor 
not  waiting  on  all  those  from  whom  I  would  expect  the  much  needed  aid.  Thw 
cause  compela  me  to  resort  to  the  present  mode  of  application. 

THOMAS  O'CONNOR,  No.  1,  St  Marke  Place 
Nfiw-YonK,  December  7th,  1838. 


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